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American schools are turning to dogs to protect their schoolchildren from mass shooters.
Florida's Village School of Naples is the latest school in the US to get a 'Skool dog', a specially-trained very good boy (or girl) that can seek out ammunition, loaded firearms, explosives, illegal drugs and more.
But these dogs are few and far between.
Colby, who watches over the Village School of Naples, is the third dog in the United States that is a qualified Skool Dog.
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She was donated to the school by a family two years ago and has undergone training to protect the students on campus with her handler, Officer Daniel.
They’re now certified, which means that her hypersensitive nose can now sniff out the bad guys before things get ruff.
"We are both certified as an active shooter response team to like threats and things like that," Officer Daniel told NBC2.
"She allows us to do our job better and then have resources to detect or deter if need be.”
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Colby and Officer Daniel spend their days patrolling campus to keep a watchful eye over students.
In the event of a shooting, Daniel said that Colby will actively hunt down the shooter.
"She will not hesitate to do what she is trained to do,” he said.
“If there are gunshots, she will actually take the K-9 handler toward them," Daniel said.
Head of School Dennis Chapman revealed that Colby's training began after the 2018 Parkland school shooting that left 17 dead.
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“All the money we’ve invested into safety and security has come through donations," Chapman said.
"Our parents are very passionate about keeping their children safe."
Colby's presence on the playground is likely a welcome update for Naples parents after a school shooting in Texas rocked the United States and the world last week.
Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas became the scene of a massacre when a lone gunman entered the campus and opened fire.
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Nineteen students and two teachers were killed, making the attack the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook.
The horror shooting has reignited the debate on gun reform in the US.
In the hours after the Uvalde shooting, US President Joe Biden called on Congress to 'stand up to the gun lobby'.
But until gun reform comes, one more school is now a little bit safer thanks to an extra layer of security in the form of Colby.
Rachel Lang