It is not unusual to see a police department with a K-9 unit, but did you know that a local hospital has a K-9 unit as part of their security team? It was news to me!

I was driving home the other day and saw a Spectrum Health Security vehicle. That's not a big deal, I've seen them from time to time. What I thought was interesting is that it said "K-9 Unit". Does the hospital really have a dog on their security team?

Come to find out the unit has been around for several years and there is not one -- but two members of the K-9 Unit.

The team consists of Rex, who's been on the team since 2014,  and the newest member, Ray, who is a three year old German Shepherd.

The dogs have a variety of duties. They are trained to sniff out explosives and any firearms that might be brought into the buildings. The dogs also make regular stops and visit patients in their rooms.

These dogs aren't cheap. Spectrum Health security department to purchased Rex from the Czech Republic. The training for the dog and handler, a specialty vehicle, and vet bills cost more than $50,000. The unit is funded entirely by community support through the Spectrum Health Foundation.

You may see the Spectrum Health Security K-9 Unit on the road just like I did. The team travels to Spectrum Health campuses across Michigan, including Reed City, Big Rapids and Zeeland.

Here is story the was put together by WZZM TV-13 last fall about the Spectrum Health Security K-9 unit...

 

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