PLEASANT HILL, Mo. — How about renting a drug-sniffing dog? In a town near Kansas City that is an option. Why is that you may ask? Some parents are taking a proactive choice when helping their kids avoid drug use.
What is this Company Doing?
The company is Metro K-9. The owner is Ray McCarty. He has acquired dogs with the unique skill of detecting drugs. They walk thru a location and sniff out drugs. Like what police dogs and airport security dogs do,
McCarty is interested in kids. He does not want them rounded up at schools and sent off to juvenile detention. Intervention by his dogs and some teaching and these kids could be on a different path.
He provides the service to people in the area. He allows them to rent his dogs by the hour.
How did the Parents respond?
A parent may ask the dog into the house sniffing for things that should not be there.
The kids at school know not to participate in carrying drugs when they know that the drug-sniffing dog will show up and walk thru the halls.
Parents and teachers use this not only as a deterrent but also as an alternative to having the police in the school. They use these dogs to educate their pupils against drug usage.
Did the Staff have some input?
“We want the kids to know there will be unannounced visits by the drug dog. We also are sending the message that we are ‘On It.'”
“Because of this, the kids are not interested in getting caught.” Says the counselor in charge of the local school program.
“We want to assist those that have a substance abuse issue.” She went on to say. “As parents are glad the school has implemented a method to detect and help our children’s misbehavior.”
Both the school and the parents are wanting the kids to grow up to be drug-free.
What were they all thinking?
McCarty said the dogs have also been trained to work in homes. They are familiar with walking thru living rooms and bedrooms and doing their jobs and finding the secrets and hidden drugs.
McCarthy’s team finds real drugs like heroin, marijuana, Cocaine, and methamphetamines. He uses licensed training aids to help his dogs learn the scents.
Does it Work?
Every worker should get his pay. The dogs get a treat when they complete a task. They Love this.
“We ask the dogs to walk thru the area,” McCarty says. “Then we send them thru again and again. Always changing up the direction or the order we use.” He goes on to say, “The dogs give us a signal each time they find something of interest. It’s when they keep notifying us of the same couch pillow, the same backpack or the same dresser that we can be sure of a location.”
What are Parents Thinking?
A mom describes her dilemma; “I think my kid is doing drugs. He is not going to admit it to me. So, I push on and find a way to confirm or deny my suspicion”. She found out about the drug-sniffing dogs. She asked the company if they could help.
Well, she found out with their help. “My kid is not doing drugs or carrying them into the house. The dog came in did his thing and found nothing. Emotionally, I was relieved. I talked to my son about it; Jr. opened to me. He said he was not doing drugs. He promised me that he would stay away from them.” What a relief. “And thanks to Mr. McCarty’s dogs we talk much more than we did before.”
The Gears Behind the Secens.
McCarty says he is not there to do law enforcement. He identifies a problem and helps the parents confront their children. McCarty is happy they can get the help they need. He is grateful the kids can stay out of the legal system. And the kids are led onto a different path.
Whether his dogs are sweeping a home, job site, fraternity house or school, what they are doing is helping real people change their lives.
What was the Real Reason for Doing This?
The hope is to begin talking turning their life around. They have enough struggle with getting out of or staying away from drug use. The additional legal involvement is one more complication that may keep some from attaining it.
The school counselor said, “We are trying to help the kids do right not catch them doing wrong.”
Do You Need to Rent a Drug Dog?
“The K-9 service is about $200 for the local community.” McCarty says, “We are also beginning to train for finding guns and bombs to help protect our kids and community.”