By Cheresa D. Clark

A man sits in his living room in Waynesville, Missouri, as images of confusion and chaos blast from his TV screen.

Brick-and-mortar walls designed to shelter schoolchildren at work and play had just become witness to what would become known as one of the worst mass shootings in the nation’s recent history.

On Dec. 14, 2012, bullets ripped through air and flesh at Sandy Hook Elementary School – and like Columbine, Aurora, Virginia Tech before it – the nation’s consciousness.

Marine Capt. Brandon Bowe, a military police officer and 21-year veteran of the Corps, was waiting to have his household goods shipped that day in preparation for retirement. But instead of packing a truck, he was riveted to the events some 1,200 miles away, unable to wrap his head around the senseless deaths of 26 children and staff members in Newtown, Connecticut.

Then his German shepherd pawed at his feet and gave him a revolutionary idea: use dogs to protect people – especially children – from an active shooter.

That night, Bowe called his former course chief at the Inter-Service Advanced Skills K-9 Course at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Gunnery Sgt. Kris Knight, and proposed the concept.

And now, coupling Knight’s knowledge and Bowe’s direction, the two retired Marines are tailoring dogs to protect the nation’s schoolchildren.

This is my canine

Cadaver dogs. Narcotics dogs. Dogs that can detect buried mines and roadside bombs. ... There are many like them, but this one is new.

“Much like imprinting explosive odors on a bomb dog, what we did was develop a system of imprinting threat recognition into a dog,” Bowe said.

Using successive approximation techniques, their counter-active shooter working dogs, or CASWDs, are able to identify and counter threats in spite of additional chaos, panic and physical obstacles inherent in an active-shooter situation, he said.

“Counter-active shooter working dogs are designed to be 100 percent social with anyone they encounter … tall or short, large or small, male or female, child or adult, any race,” Bowe said. “However, under the direction of a professional handler, under command or cue, the moment the threat appears, the dog will click off ‘safe’ – and even give its life – in order to neutralize the threat.”

Bowe explained that CASWDs can be dual purpose – they can also search for bombs or drugs – and will be an immediate counter measure to an active shooter, which, according to Attorney General Eric Holder, is becoming an epidemic in the U.S.

The point, Bowe said, isn’t to take the place of law enforcement, rather the dog, when paired with its trainer, a camera and a live video feed, will be a force multiplier for police.

While it takes police an average of seven to 14 minutes to respond to an active shooter incident, a CASWD team provides a seven- to 40-second countermeasure, depending on their location relative to the shooter. Additionally, the CASWD team augments a school’s existing – or non-existent – security staff in order to conduct physical security and vulnerability assessments, assist in access control, provide observation and reporting to an administration staff, and most obvious, provide an added measure of deterrence, Bowe said.

Will work for treats, toys

While work is, well, a job for humans, it’s a game to dogs, Bowe explained, careful only to spell the word in earshot of his furry, four-legged employees.

“When I say it’s time to go to W-O-R-K, they know they can get paid – their reward – when they do the right thing,” Bowe said.

Orma, his black Lab and bomb detector, works for food, while Katrina, his Belgian Malinois and fifth prototype CASWD, loves toys.

And while Orma’s training involved imprinting explosive odors on her memory, for Katrina, the process began with building rapport and bonding with her trainer.

Enter Knight.

Those who know the him say he speaks fluent canine, Bowe said.

With more than 20 years’ experience training military working dogs, Knight is a renowned – and rare – expert in every area of the military working dog profession, and is now using his extensive knowledge and experience to train CASWDs.

“It’s a matter of bonding and expectations,” Knight explained of the trainer-canine relationship. “The human (trainer or handler) is the center of the dog’s structured world.”

In order to imprint behavior, training a CASWD begins with low-pressure, mild obedience and acclimation before a three-stage gunfire habituation progression. Throughout the training stages, a dog learns to be fearless and stable in an explosive environment through the use of rewards, and learning the cues required for the dog to attack, Knight explained.

“Ultimately, the dog learns he cannot act on his own,” he said. “It’s always waiting for the final word.”

And in the end, the dog always wins, as it’s rewarded for the imprinted behavior: immediately attacking an active shooter within seconds of identification.

What’s most important to note, Knight said, is that the dog isn’t sent blindly down a corridor to attack at will. The canine is always deployed, controlled and commanded by a professional handler with military or law enforcement experience.

Man’s best employee

Further, Bowe said, that while the dogs can engage, hold in place, disarm or disable an active shooter almost immediately, the furry workers are gentle and social under normal conditions, and thrive in a range of environments. This combination expert training and the dogs’ inherent good nature makes CASWDs perfect additions to schools or other high-traffic facilities – whether or not there is an additional armed presence.

Though approachable, Knight cautions that the animals are working dogs, and like any other four-legged service animals, should not be treated as pets. The animals have a job to do.

Bark, bite

Guardian Protection Services Canine, and its fifth CASWD prototype, Katrina – named after the forceful and devastating hurricane – became a reality in June 2014.

While Bowe and Knight have demonstrated Katrina’s capabilities at various trade shows and a private elementary school in Maryland, and have received overwhelming positive responses to their concept, their company is still puppy-sized, as they seek the capital to expand GPS Canine's operations. To do so, the men still need an initial investment of at least $1.25 million to bite into the market, Bowe said.

And the men are determined to make this happen.

“If I have my way, there will be a CASWD team in every school, mall, movie theater, shopping center, campus, corporate office building, arena and stadium in America,” Bowe said.