TV6 | WLUC: Second UP school district adds safety dog team for security and mental health

April 2, 2024 |Marquette, MI

Rudyard Area Schools is the second district in the U.P. and seventh in Michigan to add a safety dog. St. Ignace Area Schools added Zebra K9 Nova in Jan.

Rudyard Area Schools has 600 students, and now one dog. Gator, a 14-month-old yellow lab, and their handler, Carlos Molina, a Rudyard resident and school alumni joined the district Tuesday.

The safety dog team is funded through Michigan school aid funding 31aa for improved school safety and mental health. The full-time onsite safety dog team’s focus is for firearm and explosives detection, while also providing a unique form of social and emotional support for students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

Waterford, Michigan-based Zebra K9 provides full-time onsite K9 teams to schools (seven districts representing 43 schools), hospitals, businesses, and events with a mission to save lives and protect communities in the places people live, work, and play.

Watch the story here.