LOGAN — The Utah State University Police Department is expanding its K-9 team with the addition of Wolverine, a certified explosives-detection dog.
He is partnered with Detective Mitch Blackham, a veteran handler with years of experience working with detector dogs both domestically and abroad. The duo officially cleared their certifications through VLK and American Working Dog in November, meaning they are now fully ready for patrol duty.
Blackham explained how Wolverine comes to the university with an extensive background in high-stakes security.
“So, Wolverine is a donation from a company back east,” said Blackham. “He worked outside the continental United States as a contract dog. Can’t really say where, but he served his country basically for several years doing the same job there that he’s doing here. So it’s a great program, it’s a federal program. They donate the dogs to law enforcement agencies. So that’s, that’s where we got him. Lucky to have him.”
Wolverine joins the department’s current K-9s, Sage and Zoomer, to help enhance safety for the campus community and assist law enforcement agencies throughout Cache Valley.
The addition of Wolverine gives the university a second K-9 specialized in explosives detection. He joins Zoomer, who is partnered with Lt. Scott Murray. Zoomer is trained to detect a wide range of explosive materials, supporting campus safety through proactive security sweeps, threat response and maintaining a security presence at large-scale university events like football and basketball games.
“The Spectrum is one of our venues that we utilize our explosives dogs before a game or an event,” explained Murray. “Like basketball Saturday, we’ll have dogs here working Saturday morning, just making sure the venue is sterile and safe for our guests to come.”
Rounding out the trio is Sage, the department’s certified crisis response and community outreach K-9. Sage plays a crucial role in supporting student wellness, assisting in crisis response and building relationships across the campus. Her calm, friendly presence is designed to ease stress, provide comfort during difficult situations and promote an approachable, service-minded culture within the police department.
With three K-9s now on the force, campus police are reminding the community about the proper protocols for interacting with the animals.
Because Wolverine and Zoomer hold high-stakes positions in explosives detection, they are strictly working dogs. Students, faculty and visitors are asked to give the two dogs space and refrain from petting or distracting them while they are on duty.
However, Sage is the notable exception to that rule. The crisis response dog is always excited to be greeted with a hand on her head and is more than happy to shake paws with anyone she meets around campus.