Lakeview High School Uses K-9 Moose to Combat Vaping

According to an ABC WXYZ report on August 13th, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, at Lakeview High School, the band is preparing for the new school year -- and so is Moose. Moose is not an ordinary dog, but a member of the security team Zebra K-9.

This is another set of eyes, ears, and noses outside of humanity, capable of producing a certain level of intimidation," said Karl Paulson, Superintendent of the Lakeview Public School District.

K-9s have a much more powerful sense of smell than humans," said Greg Guidice, founder and CEO of Zebra K-9.

Moose's nose is not only used for detecting weapons and explosives, but also for detecting things that are often unnoticed in Michigan classrooms.

In schools, 'one of their biggest issues is e-cigarettes, as well as the nicotine and THC in e-cigarettes,'" he said.

E-cigarettes are easily hidden in plain sight, "they look like a pen, or they look like a toy," Paulson said. For educators across the state, this is becoming an increasingly serious issue.

Most of our school districts have e-cigarette detectors in their bathrooms, but the district superintendent and the issue we pointed out is that when the detectors go off, the students have already disappeared, so they have to check the footage, and then they see a group of people coming out, but they don't know who has the e-cigarette," Guidice said.

Moose is like a mobile e-cigarette detection device. "K-9s can go anywhere with students and walk beside them. They can sniff their backpacks, bodies, and lockers," Guidice said.

They have been to football games; they have been to dances," Paulson said. "We have seen a decrease in e-cigarette use among middle and high school students - is this a direct result? I don't know, but it is a promising new trend.

Paulson stated that the incidence of THC and nicotine e-cigarette incidents at Lakeview Public School decreased by 15% to 20% during the previous academic year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 2 million or 10% of middle and high school students are currently using e-cigarettes. For years, many school leaders have been sounding the alarm as they struggle to control this issue. "We don't see this as an epidemic, but I hope it can completely disappear," he said.

The good news is, at least around here, their law enforcement officers are dogs. "They deter students who want to use e-cigarettes, but they also serve as therapy dogs," Paulson said.