DETECTIVE DOG FUN FOR KIDS, TOUGH ON DRUGS

Buster, A Dog Trained To Sniff Out Narcotics, Is One Of The Family At Nixa
High School.

NIXA - As Nixa High School Officer Brian Loveland walks the hallways,
students often ignore him and lavish attention on Buster.

The 3I-year-old black Labrador laps it up unabashedly, playfully circling
Loveland and wagging his tail.

"He's a very friendly dog," said senior J.P. Szesny, 19, who stopped to hug
Buster Wednesday at Nixa's 1,100-student high school. "It's not unusual for
us to go up and pet him."

But friendly or not, Buster ultimately has a job to do.

Trained to sniff out narcotics, Buster has garnered regional awards for
uncovering even trace amounts of cocaine, marijuana, heroine and
methamphetamine. He has found narcotics in Nixa and many other area school
districts.

"He's an aggressive alert dog, which means he scratches when he finds
something," said Loveland, 37, who cares for the dog full time.

"If we are walking by a bank of lockers, we want him to tell us which one
(drugs) are in."

Buster's acute skills and pinpoint accuracy have twice earned him the
National Narcotic Detector Dog Association's regional championship.

"We are really proud of him," Loveland said. "He works well with the kids,
yet he has a nose for drug detection."

Loveland, an officer with the 4,000-student district for four years, takes
Buster everywhere except the cafeterias. The dog routinely checks school
hallways, locker rooms, parking lots and classrooms.

"We've been called to all the area schools," Loveland said. "The other
officers call me out quite a bit."

"Most of (the contraband) is left in the cars in the parking lot," said
Loveland, who has pulled narcotics from head rests and visors with Buster's
indication. "A lot of kids keep it on their person."

Prior to school trips, students are warned that their bags will be sniffed
by Buster. They are lined up on the sidewalk for him to walk through.

"We tell the kids beforehand and it keeps them honest," he said. "We've
never found anything."

Emily Engelking, a freshman, is a dog lover. In the hallways, she heaps
affection on Buster.

"That dog is sweet, he is so nice," said Engelking, 15. "He was in
(physical education class) the other day and he showed us all his tricks."

Engelking said the dog makes her feel protected.

"I feel safer," she said. "You don't have to worry about drugs."

Buster was trained to detect narcotics by playing fetch with tennis balls
laced with different drugs.

"He associates that smell with a toy," Loveland said. "He thinks he's
playing fetch. It's a game for him."

Recently, when a class questioned whether Buster could detect narcotics
without prompting, Loveland issued a challenge.

Under strict supervision, high school students hid trace amounts of
marijuana in a classroom.

"He found not only the dope but the bag it was carried in," Loveland said.
"It was an opportunity to talk to students about drugs."

It takes about an hour to check a school for drugs.

"He does all his work just to play fetch and be praised," he said. "He'll
bend over backwards to be praised."

Buster became a fixture in the district three years ago. He even has his
own water bowl in Julie Bandy's art class.

"He jumps up and puts his paws on the table and gives me kisses. I love
Buster. He's our baby," Bandy said. But she added that most importantly,
"he's a deterrent."

In a high school contest to name the dog, 115 names were suggested. But
Buster, a name submitted four times, seemed to stick.

Though Buster lives with Loveland's family of four - including two sons at
Nixa High School - the district pays for his dog food.

Some are initially leery of the dog. Others ply Loveland with questions.

"They all want to know if they can feed him something," said Loveland, who
makes the dog adhere to a strict diet.

"They all want to know if he would attack the other person if I got in a
fight with somebody. He'd probably think we were playing and want to join in."