Canine Detection Program
Q: Why are dogs being used at Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery?
A: Canine detection is being used to help us keep our campus safe. Ours is an open campus that has hundreds of people coming into our buildings each week. We know that the vast majority are coming to the campus for the right reasons and are invested in helping to support our patients as they deal with their addictive disorder. We also know that a few do not have that same regard. We have decided to take this new step in order to better detect situations that we feel pose a threat to the safety of others.
Q: What are the dogs looking for, what can they detect?
A: The dogs are trained to identify a variety of things that the staff of Brighton feels could place patients and/or staff in danger.
Q: Are the dogs aggressive, and are they trained to attack people?
A: No. The dogs are specifically trained in detection, and are not here for any other reason. The dogs are friendly, but they are also here to do their job, so we expect staff, patients, and visitors to maintain minimal contact with the dogs while they are here to sweep our buildings and grounds. A trained handler as well as a member of the BCR staff will always accompany the dogs.
Q: Whom will the dogs be searching?
A: The sweeps the dogs do will include areas in which visitors are present, and many sweeps will be done at times when visitors are on the campus. The dogs are very sensitive in their detections and are trained to identify things that an individual, be it a patient, a visitor, or a staff person, has in their possession that would be considered dangerous. Since Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery is private property, it reserves the right to address this type of situation and to ask any visitor to leave the campus any time. This will be done if it is determined an individual may pose a danger to the facility and/or to keep the campus free from illegal or unwanted substances.