DRUG DOG MISSES START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

As Porter Creek Secondary School students returned to class Thursday,
they might have been disappointed after expecting to be greeted at the
school by a puppy.

"They certainly were excited about it," Kerry Huff, the school's
principal, said in an interview Wednesday. "They're expecting (the
dog) to be here."

The school received about $250,000 from the territorial government to
establish a three-year Dogs for Drug Free Schools pilot program.

The approval for the program came after the school council brought up
Medicine Hat Police Service Sgt. Randy Youngman, who heads up Dogs for
Drug Free Schools in the Alberta community. Youngman brought Fiddler
up with him as well, one of two dogs that work with the program there.

Under it, dogs like Fiddler go to school through the day with police
officers who work in the high schools. The dogs are trained to
identify the smell of drugs in a locker or backpack, and serve as a
bridge between police and students.

While the dogs don't search lockers, they're trained to show the
officer when they sense drugs. From there, the school and officers can
assess whether to proceed with a search.

In the Yukon's case, Huff said, a handler will take on the role the
police officer normally does in schools in Medicine Hat.

For now, the Porter Creek program is stalled as a committee made up of
Huff, two school council members, two parents and two students work on
coming up with a job description for the dog handler.

Huff is hopeful the job can be posted within the next couple of
weeks.

There are also issues around liability and who will own the dog, which
are being worked out as well, Huff said.

It will likely be October by the time the puppy is introduced to the
school, though, as Huff pointed out, that could change.

The committee, he stressed, wants to make sure everything is done
right to ensure the program can be a success.

In addition to the $250,000 to be spent on the program over three
years, a local service club has offered to pay for the purchase of the
dog.