Dogged Determination

LECOM Welcomes New Security Team Member

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Police Department has a new partner, Coyote, a 14-month-old German Shepherd from King County Search and Rescue Dogs, an organization overseen by County Sheriffs and State Emergency Management Teams in Bellevue, Washington.

The LECOM Erie addition is named after the well-known Search and Rescue K-9, Coyote, a control dog deployed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Inspired by the Search and Rescue Dogs who responded to the devastation following 9/11, the University of Pennsylvania Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) was opened on September 11, 2012, and it serves as a national research and development center for detection dogs.

With the United States national security under constant threat from attacks, detection dogs are one of the best tools available to detect and mitigate potential threats. Search dogs also are critical for locating victims of natural and manmade disasters.

The special scenting ability of dogs allows them to serve in important ways, such as in undertaking cutting-edge research to support global health or conservation detection.

As pioneers in the working dog field, PVWDC increases collaborative research and the application of the newest scientific findings and veterinary expertise to optimize the performance of lifesaving detection dogs.

Donated to the PVWDC by Iron Sight Breeders in Bradenton, Florida, Coyote began training at the PVWDC in May of 2020.

LECOM is delighted to have Coyote on the Security Team. Considered a force-multiplier, Coyote will assist in the array of protective and detection tasks as needed by the College.