New K-9s offer safety and emotional support to Mt. Morris students

Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools are seeing the impact their two new cross trained K-9's bring to the district.

MT.MORRIS. (WJRT) - Students in Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools are preparing for holiday break along with the district's newest family members, K-9's Oakley and Rooster.

The two dogs were introduced to Mt. Morris students at the start of the school year. The Labrador Retriever sniffed out a vape in a locker while demonstrating his skills.

"The district has chosen to have a dog that detects vape and narcotics and firearms and explosives. So there's two dogs in the district and they rotate all the schools," said Gregory Giudice, the owner of Michigan advanced security services company Zebra K-9.  

Oakley and Rooster visit all buildings throughout Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools. However, the two dogs rotate between Mt. Morris Middle School and Elisabeth Ann Johnson High School.

Students say they have become like family throughout the district.

"When I saw them in the beginning of the school year it shocked me, but once you get into the school year, it's knowing that they're there," said Mt. Morris Middle School student Tyler Mitchell. 

It's the knowing that makes these dogs a huge help. In a world of violence and peer pressure, their purpose is vital.

"Companies are finding ways to make them (vapes) more marketable to our students through flavors and different types of pencils, highlighters, and things like that," said Mt. Morris Middle School Principal Courtney Gustafson. "What's nice is that our dogs don't recognize it by sight, they recognize it by smell."

The dogs and handlers are provided by Michigan-based company Zebra K-9, which provides K-9 services for several school districts in the state. The handler and dog go through rigorous training and become certified together.

"This helps to deter them from bringing it into the school and it helps us support students if we do find those types of things on them, then we can provide them additional services and education," said Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools Superintendent Mickie Kujat.

But, while safety is important for students, so is mental health. That is why having the dogs be dually trained for social and emotional support is special for students. 

"They get the safety benefit for firearms or for vape but then they get this whole social and emotional piece, something that when we first started doing this we really underestimated the value that it provides," said Guidice. "A day doesn't go by when our teams aren't asked to console a student for some reason or another, having a good day, bad day, bringing something from home. Unfortunately, there's a lot of emotional issues facing our students today."

Mt. Morris School administration says another thing that's special about Oakley and Rooster is that the safety measures they're trained for (like finding vapes and THC) is slightly above what traditional police K-9s look for.

"I like having dogs at our school because it's helpful like if you're frustrated or sad you can pet dogs and if you feel happy," said Mt. Morris Middle School student Mia Felts.

Mount Morris school district staff say that since the dogs have been introduced they've seen success in both safety in finding substances and mental health support.

"They provide some of that regulation for students who have a tense situation and whenever you bring in a dog it just really automatically brings down the tensity level," said Kujat. "Dogs will help to sit with them and while they calm down, walk them back to class, make sure they get back to where they need to be."