A man and his dog: Dennis Jones and Cassy help keep schools safe statewide

Cassy, a 4 1/2-year old Yellow Labrador, rapidly paced back and forth, sniffing intently as she narrowed the distance and came to a stop. She sat quietly and gazed expectantly at her handler. She had located a demonstration piece of "contraband," a crushed beer can hidden beneath a stack of folding tables in the fellowship hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Polson.

A second demonstration search quickly led to a contraband illegal drug sample buried in the bottom of a waste basket atop a table.

After each discovery, Cassy was "rewarded" with compliments, love pats and a canvas-covered "bumper" toy to play with for a few seconds.

The searches were part of the presentation made by retired Polson school administrator Dennis Jones at the monthly men's breakfast meeting April 2.

Since his retirement four years ago, Jones purchased Cassy, a search dog trained by Interquest Detection Canines of Houston, Texas. As a franchised agent, Jones has 75 school district contracts that include 100 schools, portions of the Montana state prison system, an oil refinery, the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch in Billings, the privately operated prison facility at Shelby, Job Corps centers and others. He and Cassy even conduct inspections in Sheridan, Wyo.

Cassy was trained to sniff out narcotics like methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, cocaine, alcoholic beverages like beer, wine and whisky, often abused prescription medicines, guns and ammo.

The training of detection canines usually takes five to six months and only one out of 50 dogs successfully complete the course. Labradors and Golden Retrievers are the top two breeds for this type of work, Jones explained. Next best breeds are German Shepherds and Malanois. A detection dog's career usually doesn't last beyond the age of 10. The retired company-owned dogs are put up for adoption by Interquest.

'My background as a teacher and school administrator comes in handy,' he said. He has an understanding of how a school system works, its infrastructure and the legal ramifications.

School searches are not announced in advance and may include parking lots, classrooms, lockers, gyms and more. A school administrator or program coordinator accompanies Jones and Cassy on all searches.

Intent of the program is to ensure drug-, alcohol-, weapons-free campuses. The program works, too. For instance, Polson High School yielded contraband in each inspection during the first year. Since then, very few drugs, paraphernalia, weapons, ammunition or other contraband items have been found.

"That doesn't mean drugs aren't used or that some kids don't drink away from the campus during non-school hours, but the items usually aren't brought to school," Jones said.

He explained the procedure for checking a classroom. The dog "doesn't sniff people," he said. Students are asked to leave the room and stay out until the inspection is completed. Cassy works fast and can cover 100 lockers per minute.

If Cassy "alerts" on something left in the room — a notebook, desk, backpack, coat, etc. — that establishes "reasonable cause,'" Jones said, and the accompanying school administrator may ask the student to empty coat, sweater or pants pockets.

The owner of a vehicle, locker, backpack or duffle bag can, if they choose to cooperate, tell the inspection team if any item the dog is trained to alert on had been previously present.

"It isn't unusual for Cassy to detect odors left behind by contraband items. This is called residual odor," Jones said.

Residual odors can be long lasting. Jones cited an inspection he conducted in a classroom east of the mountains. The dog alerted at a teacher's desk. The suspected item turned out to be a covered gallon jar containing spent rifle cartridges, lead, soil and grass. The items had been recovered from farmland near the Custer battlefield. The teacher used it as part of a history lesson.

A year later at the same school, Cassy discovered the cartridge again — this time in a cupboard in the classroom.

Now, when asked how long residual odors can remain, Jones smiles and says, "Sometimes over 100 years."

If contraband is found, the situation is discussed with the student and school coordinator and sealed in an evidence bag and retained by the school. Any action taken as a result of the find is the responsibility of the school district.

At the end of each visit, Jones prepares reports for each canine alert during the visit and includes specific information concerning items found and their current disposition.

Most of the searches are conducted during daytime. Some, however, are scheduled as "all nighters."

The high regard school administrators have for Jones and Cassy is indicated in a statement by Lyle Seavy, vice president/residential services at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch. He said they have been "a consistent presence … when they arrive every month or so, the kids feel safe knowing why Interquest is here. Dennis takes the time to show the students how the dog works. Interquest is a great way to ensure that Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch remains drug free and safe."

Doug Gaskill, dean of students at Colstrip Public Schools, said, "Dennis is very student oriented and presents himself in a professional honest manner. Interquest works quietly and is not disruptive. Students have become very familiar seeing Dennis and Cassy in the school and understand their purpose … Dennis has also been willing to adjust his schedule and has made sure that we are taken care of and that our contract is fulfilled."