ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Lakeview Public Schools is expanding its partnership with Zebra K9s to include vape-detection dogs.
According to school principal Karl Paulson, last school year they deployed K9s to sniff out firearms, explosives and narcotics with great success.
“If I can get another set of hands, eyes, ears and a nose, that will make an impact,” Paulson said.
The new venture is an extension of an initiative launched last year that created an educational program to warn students about the dangers of vaping. Paulson told CBS News Detroit that vaping in high schools has dropped by 15 percent.
Now they hope those numbers will drop even further with K9 partner Moose.
“I’m not saying we’re going to catch everybody,” Paulson said. “Dogs aren’t always everywhere. Staff aren’t always everywhere. But the chances of you getting caught are higher.”
Greg Guidice, president and CEO of Zebra K9, said that’s the whole point.
“If students know the K9 can detect vapes or firearms, why would we take the risk?” Guidice said.
The penalty for a first offense of being caught with a vaping device is a one-day suspension from school. That penalty will increase for each subsequent offense.
“Make the healthy choice. Make the smart choice. Don’t destroy your brain with something your body isn’t ready for,” Paulson said.
Lakeview Public Schools will start its first day of school with the new dogs on August 26.
Walter Murphy
