GOING TO THE DOGS; SCHOOLS GET NOSY ON GUNS, DRUGS.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

School officials, hoping to deter students from bringing drugs, alcohol or weapons on campus, on recruited a furry, four-legged messenger to spread the word Monday that such offenders will be caught.

Students in the seventh and eighth grades at Arroyo Seco Junior High School were the first in the William S. Hart Union High School District to see a demonstration by one of the specially trained dogs that will be making surprise visits to the campus. Keno, a 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, showed his olfactory prowess in two assemblies at Arroyo Seco.

Keno's handler, Tracy Horton, said dogs from Kontraband Interdiction & Detection Services are trained to smell gunpowder, firecrackers, bombs, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, beer, liquor and many other substances that are illegal for students to possess.

The school board hired the Modesto-based firm to conduct unannounced sweeps in which a dog will sniff students' backpacks and lockers and will roam classrooms and the school grounds in search of illicit items. When the dog smells contraband, he alerts his handler by abruptly sitting, Horton explained to the students.

``This canine can pick up odor coming out of a beer can even though it's sealed,'' she told the audience.

Horton also told the youths that the company's dogs can detect residual odors on clothing exposed to smoke, for example, or a backpack on which beer has been spilled. If the articles haven't been laundered, the dog will alert the handler to the smell, she said.

``You don't want to be hanging around a bunch of kids smoking marijuana,'' Horton said. ``There's a good chance that odor will get on you.''

The 50-minute presentation prompted questions from students.

``How long does that residual odor stay on you?'' one boy asked. As long as a week, Horton answered. ``Can they smell an unloaded gun if there once were bullets in it?'' another boy asked. Yes, Horton said.

``What if the dog is hungry and he's smelling food?'' another boy wondered. Horton said the dogs are trained to pursue their mission and ignore even appetizing odors they are not trained to detect. ``He doesn't want your lunches, your sandwiches or your cookies,'' she said about Keno.

The dogs cannot be fooled by efforts to mask odors, Horton said. She told about a trained dog that sneezed from chili pepper sprinkled inside a car being searched for marijuana, but the dog still alerted the handler to contraband.

The dogs stay focused on finding contraband, Horton explained, because they have been trained to know they get to play with a favorite chew toy whenever they find any.

She demonstrated Keno's skill by having him find a small, sealed bottle of whiskey, marijuana in a glass vial and a bullet hidden in the auditorium. After each alert, Keno gleefully played with his chew toy, gnawing on it as he rolled around the stage.

``We are drug-free at Arroyo Seco and intend to stay that way,'' Principal Jacque Snyder told the gathering.

``We just want to make sure this is a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone,'' Horton added.

Students' reaction to the new program seemed generally positive.

``I thought it was good that they had the dogs come so we could have a drug-free campus,'' said Kyle Awtry, 12.

``I think it's a good idea to have them find these drugs,'' said Julia Bradley, 13.

``I don't think there's much of a drug problem, but it's good to know there's a dog who can find the stuff,'' added Willow Morton, 13.

Taylor Geno, 13, said the assembly reinforced opinions she already held.

``I know somebody who does drugs. She tried to convince me to do it, but I would never do it because it wrecks your life,'' the eighth-grader said. ``She's not doing good at anything right now.''

Alex Johnson predicted the risk of being caught by the dogs will motivate kids to toe the line. ``I don't think that many (students) have drugs, but I'm sure they won't bring them to school,'' the 12-year-old girl said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Trained to sniff out drugs, alcohol and guns, Keno the dog gives a demonstration at a school assembly.

(2--Color) Seventh- and eighth-graders at Arroyo Seco Junior High watch handler Tracy Horton work with Keno, a black Labrador retriever trained to sniff out contraband on campus.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News