- Utah State University Police added a second explosives-detecting K-9 named Wolverine.
- Detective Mitch Blackham emphasizes Wolverine's role in ensuring event safety at USU.
- Wolverine joins Zoomer as Cache County's only specialized bomb-detecting K-9s.
LOGAN — Utah State University Police now have a second K-9 that specializes in detecting explosives.
A Belgian Malinois named Wolverine was donated by a company that contracts with federal agencies overseas.
Detective Mitch Blackham, who serves as Wolverine's handler, said Wolverine brings some much-needed support.
"I don't think they've found a better indicator or a better tool than the explosive detector dogs," Blackham said. "They'll do the stadium's pre-football game, or a basketball game, a lot of the dances, things like that. Just making sure that there's nothing that can harm anyone."
Wolverine will help take some of the workload off Zoomer, the department's other bomb-detecting dog. Blackham said the two will search out "high possibility" areas, which is hard work.
"Two is definitely a benefit here. I think a necessity, really," Blackham explained. "It cuts the time down. And it, it helps to prolong the life of the dogs."
The two K-9s are also the only ones with their expertise within all of Cache County, which means they serve as a resource for other surrounding agencies.
USU's police department also added another K-9, Sage, to its mix in 2023. However, her mission is aimed at helping students with mental health and in crisis response.
