Interquest K9s
Interquest K9s is the nations oldest and largest contraband detection and drug dog serves provider. It was founded in 1979. They provide School Drug and Contraband K9s, Workplace Drug and Contraband K9s and Counseling Assistance & Comfort Dogs. Each team is highly trained in the real world.
Bear, who I met in the fall of 2023, works at schools in his area, looking for contraband to help keep kids safe.
The idea is that every kid should feel safe and secure at school. Drug and contraband deterrence and prevention is a key piece of any school safety protocol and Interquest K9s is set up to be a friendly, unintimidating, yet effective presence with a focus on keeping contraband off campus through K9 inspections and education.
They train the dogs to find and their handlers to identify substances that are of concern to the school environment: Illicit drugs, alcohol, gunpowder based items and medications.
The dogs are trained in live school environments to ensure they are absolutely safe around students, yet have the focus to work effectively. There is no need to “lockdown” a campus or prevent students from being in the vicinity of the working dog, in fact, the visibility factor is a big piece of the deterrence. The goal is not to scare students, but instead to be a positive presence to help everyone on campus feel safe.
Commonly inspected areas include:
Student vehicles
Backpacks or belongings in the classroom
Athletic and PE locker rooms
Restrooms
Gym
Library
Tech/shop areas
Perimeter and outdoor areas
Academic lockers
If contraband is located, it is turned over to the school administrators. Any further action is taken by the school, not the dog or the handler.
Bear and his human partner work as a team. They are well liked in the schools in which they work and Bear loves his work.
What is Bear's reward for a "find"? A game of tug!
Bear will be featured in my book "Working Tails of the Pacific Northwest". The book is for and about working dogs.
Registration to have your working dog featured in the book is currently open.
Any working dog who actively serves in the Pacific Northwest is invited to register.
Publication date is set for late 2024.
