Van Dyke schools welcome K-9 teams

WARREN — With their tails wagging behind them, Binx and Intel are ready for the new school year in Van Dyke Public Schools, which began Aug. 28.

Binx and Intel are the district’s two new therapy/detection dogs from Zebra K9. Binx, age 2 1/2, and Intel, age 2, will work in the district with their handlers, John Guerrero and Tony Stokes, respectively.

Both officers were hired by Zebra K9 and not the city of Warren. Gregory Guidice is the president and CEO of Zebra K9. Adding the K-9 dogs is another layer of the district’s security measures designed to protect the students and staff.

Zebra K9 provides advanced canine team security services for schools, health care facilities, businesses and events. Teams are trained and certified in firearms and explosives detection. Through their sense of smell, the police dogs can search backpacks, lockers, restrooms, bleachers, gymnasiums and stadiums.

When something suspicious is detected, the K-9 will signal the officer, who will take the next steps depending on the situation. The Labrador retriever dogs also will be on site as therapy dogs to provide emotional support to students when needed.

School officials brought in the four-legged workers with grant money from the Michigan Department of Education designated for school safety. The grant will cover the costs of the dogs for the 2023-2024 school year.

The trained animals will rotate around the district at different schools, including Lincoln High School, Lincoln Middle School, Lincoln Elementary, McKinley Elementary, Carlson Elementary and the Early Childhood Center.

“It’s been awesome,” district Director of Crisis Response and Safety Victor Breithaupt said. “The kids love them. They’ll be able to bring a little bit of comfort to them.”

The K-9 team’s presence — along with regular patrol and searches — establishes a proactive approach to help identify risks before they escalate.

Last Wednesday, Binx, a female, was on site at Lincoln High School with Guerrero. At one point, the pair walked the perimeter of the school. When inside, seniors Ashley Blackwell and Faith Shoults stopped by to pet the dog while on the way to class. They asked first if they could pet her as the dog’s vest read, “Ask to pet.”

Guerrero trained for nearly five months at American K-9 Interdiction in Carrsville, Virginia.

“We trained every day Monday through Friday. We started at 7 a.m., and went until 4, 5, 6 p.m.,” said Guerrero, who served in the U.S. Air Force. “When I first got her, she was kind of skittish toward people.”

Binx has since relaxed a bit and settled into her new surroundings. On the first day of school, Guerrero and Binx helped escort anxious students to class.

“One student who was crying and wanted her mom, we let her pet Binx,” Guerrero said. “She’s been escorting students at the high school for people having a tough time returning to school. If you’re feeling down or need some comfort, you can come and love her.”

On the first day of school at Carlson, Binx “was exhausted after every single class was loving on her.”

On the morning of Aug. 30, Stokes was at McKinley when Breithaupt stopped by to check on the dog. Stokes said while some students have come up to pet him, “there are some that are still trying to get used to him being around.”

“He loves being able to protect the kids. He’s doing really well. He’s full of energy,” Stokes said of Intel. “Every morning when he wakes up, he gets excited to come to work. He loves the attention.”

“Go Fetch” is probably Intel’s favorite game to play.

Stokes trained at Elite Detection K9 in Rochester Hills.