Valley, a 10-month-old Labrador retriever, may not look the part, but she could be the newest tool to help prevent school shootings, bomb threats, and other havoc.
For years, airports, stadiums, hospitals, parades, and other locations with large crowds have used Valley, a female dog with a nose specially trained to detect explosives, including gunpowder. Now, the Rochester Hills business that trained her sees schools as a growing market.
Gregory Guidice, the owner of Elite Detection K9, said that his company is in fact speaking with some school districts that are planning fall rollouts. “More and more schools are requesting this kind of security because it is proactive,” “.
After a shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people last year, numerous copycat threats were made across the nation, closing more than 100 schools, including several in metro Detroit.
Police responded to the threats, but Guidice claimed that he is currently in contract negotiations with a number of school districts to provide them with dogs. The dogs would patrol high school football games, plays, and other public events on a regular basis. He wouldnt name the districts.
Schools could purchase their own dog, but Guidice said that in order for the dogs to remain effective, they must be trained with actual explosives, which makes a contract more likely.
Detroit Public Schools Community District once had a K9 unit, but it was disbanded, according to spokeswoman Chrystal Wilson.
In the future, she said, “We are considering re-establishing a K-9 officer with a specific explosive detection discipline for the Detroit Public Schools Community District.”
For the time being, Detroit schools utilize the detection dog services provided by Detroit Police. When necessary, most districts have a similar arrangement with police or sheriff’s offices for dogs.
“It just makes it a harder target,” Guidice said. “Its much more of a proactive approach. “.
The dogs not only sniff out contraband but also act as a deterrent because those who see them are unaware of their abilities.
Detection dogs are in high demand, and new independent vendors are cropping up to supply them to businesses, hospitals, and cargo shipping facilities in addition to schools.
According to David Ferland, executive director of the United States Police Canine Association, the oldest and largest certification organization for police dogs, “we are seeing an increase in the private security providing these services.” “Theres more work than law enforcement can provide work for. “.
Police dogs and canines used by private businesses are different, according to Ferland If an explosive is discovered, police officers with dogs have the authority to call a bomb squad and issue evacuation orders.
Since almost 20 years ago, Beaumont Hospital has employed bomb-sniffing dogs, according to Bill Ferreras, a lieutenant with hospital security. Although he has never discovered an explosive, dogs have other advantages, like calming rowdy patients in the emergency room.
“The dogs work great for crowd control,” he said. “You just have to show up with a dog, and everyone stops,” “.
It’s difficult to find reliable statistics on the number of teams in America. The University of Pennsylvania estimated there were 10,000 teams nationwide about five years ago. According to the federal government’s projections, 5,000 more teams will be required in the upcoming years, Ferland said.
To purchase, outfit, train, and certify a detection dog, police departments typically spend between $15,000 and $25,000 in the first year, according to Ferland. A typical working career for a dog of this type is about eight years, and the years after that are less expensive.
Before a dog is tested, Ferlands Group typically trains it for more than 400 hours. Dogs must be recertified annually.
The dogs need to have the right temperament as well as the ability to smell, according to Ferland. They must put up with crowds, the commotion that comes with them, and the noise.
The most popular breeds used in detection work are Labradors, Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. They can be taught to detect the smells of people, human excrement, fire starters, drugs, and explosives, including gunpowder.
The dog will be able to detect gunpowder if the firearm is loaded, according to Ferland.
The owner of VWK9, John Pearce, is an Alabama-based business that employs an Auburn University-patentable training technique. The technique, known as Vapor Wake, instructs dogs to specifically look for guns and other weapons in crowds of people. The business provides dogs to professional and collegiate sports teams as well as Amtrak.
“Were searching the ambient air around people,” Pearce said. The detection of any type of material carried on or worn by the body, weapons, or explosives is done using vapor wake technology. We dont do narcotics. “.
Pearce claimed that his business now receives more inquiries from school districts after providing dogs to Wayne State University and other universities.
Paul Waggoner, co-director of the Canine Performance Sciences program at Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, noted that dogs have a keen sense of smell that only gets sharper with training and breeding.
“The dog is basically a mobile sensing device,” he said. It has gotten better over time and will keep getting better. “.
A dog’s capacity to locate objects is constrained, according to Waggoner. The canine must come into contact with odor molecules that originated from the explosives or other illegal substances.
He claimed that rather than inspecting people, the dogs were more interested in the odor trail they left behind.
Valleys trainer Ric Hetu provided a demonstration at the CREST training facility of Oakland County Community Colleges in Auburn Hills last week to demonstrate how it functions.
He concealed test samples of dynamite and smokeless black gunpowder in desk drawers in a campus building that resembles a neighborhood bank branch. He brought Valley in from his truck once they were set up and told her to find them.
When the dog entered the building, it quickly picked up the scent. When something is inside, explosive detection dogs are trained to sit in front of the drawers rather than scratching at them like drug detection dogs might.
“Its a passive response,” Guidice said. “You don’t want the dog ripping at it if there’s an explosive in there.” “.
Hetu gave Valley a ball to play with as payment for her discovery, encouraging her to have fun by pulling on it.
Can a drug dog smell a gun?
Today, specially trained dogs can detect human remains as well as drugs, bombs, electronics, and firearms.
Drug sniffing dogs are trained to find specific narcotics, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and methamphetamine. It is not unusual for a police officer to pull over a car and then request authorization to search it if he suspects there may be drugs inside.
Does my dog know what a gun is?
Animals don’t like loud noises. Dogs are creatures, so those who aren’t hunters will despise the sound of a gun. They would be terrified in the wild because most animals don’t make noise. Hunting dogs learn to like the sound of a gun.
They recognize your fear, and what you are afraid of. Because they don’t understand what a gun is or does, their apparent hatred of guns is similar to your own, but slightly more fearless.
Yes, the dogs used by customs and border patrol can find weapons and ammunition The problem would be that in shooting situations, such a detection would be useless to law enforcement. Yes, the dogs used by customs and border patrol can find weapons and ammunition
Can a police dogs smell firearms?
Modern police and military dogs are specially trained to detect bombs, drugs, electronics, human scents, and even firearms. We have observed an increase in training different K9 units to detect firearms and ammunition due to the rise in gun issues in the United States.
Today, specially trained dogs can detect human remains as well as drugs, bombs, electronics, and firearms. There has been an increase in training dogs to look for weapons and ammunition as gun-related problems continue to worsen in America.
A detection dog, also known as a sniffer dog, is a canine trained to use its senses to find things like explosives, illegal drugs, animal droppings, cash, blood, and illicit electronics like illegal cell phones.
Dogs are now important members of law enforcement and task force organizations across the nation. They have been trained to sniff out both biological (e. g. , individuals participating in a search and rescue mission) and non-biological (e g. , drugs, firearms, ammo, and explosives) items in a variety of situations
FAQ
Can dogs smell a firearm?
The smell of gunpowder lingers on a gun after it has been fired. A dog is usually more than capable of smelling this because it usually has a distinct smell. In most cases, a dog can locate a firearm once they become familiar with this scent.
Can a police K9 smell a gun?
Modern police and military dogs are specially trained to detect bombs, drugs, electronics, human scents, and even firearms. We have observed an increase in training different K9 units to detect firearms and ammunition due to the rise in gun issues in the United States.
Can police dogs smell guns in a car?
They detect the chemical compounds that are most likely to accompany guns rather than the actual smell of guns. The dogs have been taught to sniff out cleaning products and gunpowder.
Can a police dog smell bullets?
Due to their exceptional sense of smell, dogs can be trained in a variety of scent-related tasks, including the detection of ammunition.