A former Navy SEAL is training dogs to take down school shooters.
Joshua Morton served five tours overseas as a K-9 handler and has started using those skills back in the U.S. to help schools defend themselves against a gunman, according to NBC Washington News4.
“I did not expect to see what I saw overseas to see it in schools. But, unfortunately, it’s happening,” Morton said. “I’ve been trying to find this solution for a very long time.”
Morton’s dog is trained to react to the sound of gunfire. The dog has run multiple test scenarios against an armed man appearing to fire a weapon as people flee.
Morton has run a demonstration at Chariton High School in Chariton, Iowa, where he lives. In one test, his dog runs past dozens of kids and adults participating in the active shooter drill to attack one of Morton’s friends wielding a gun at the end of the hall. The dog was wearing a muzzle to prevent the animal from doing real damage.
Getting a trained dog and hiring a handler to coach him is expensive. A school district will have to pay about $125,000 for the pair.
Part of the price tag is due to not many dogs being intelligent enough to comprehend what Morton is trying to teach it. To ensure a steady stream of capable, friendly dogs and avoid wasting time, Morton uses clones.
If the dog can’t get to the shooter, the animal can at least save someone else from getting shot, Morton says.
“I am sending the dog as a canary,” Morton said. “It’s a hard pill to swallow but I’m sorry, it’s reality. I would rather it be him than a child or somebody else.”
