Beers and K-9 Sam Bring Joy to West Sedona School

On Wednesday, April 23, Sedona Police K-9 Sam, along with his handler, Officer Catherine Beers, visited Kelly Cadigan’s fourth-grade class at West Sedona School. The visit marked the celebration of Sam’s impending third birthday and recognized the students’ efforts in fundraising for the “Minute That Matters” Special Olympics event. Students from Trevor Turner’s fourth-grade class, who also raised a significant amount for the cause, joined the celebration.

Student Isaac Joyeno Jimenez expressed pride in their fundraising achievements. “They are coming to our room because we raised the most money with the coins to give it to the Special Olympics so kids that are special needs can compete in sports,” he said.

Officer Beers thanked the children for their participation, noting, “This is the first time we’ve done this since I’ve been in charge of the rev up for Special Olympics. Your school collected over $1,300 overall, with you all raising well over $300, which is huge.” The school surpassed its initial fundraising goal of $500.

Beers highlighted her 18 months of experience working with Sam, focusing on public outreach and narcotics detection. “All of our previous canine officers were apprehension dogs. Sam doesn’t bite; his role involves searching vehicles and houses,” Beers explained. She emphasized the importance of rewarding Sam for completing tasks, demonstrating this with a tennis ball he found in the classroom.

“Tennis balls are what he works for,” Beers stated. “If he gets a ball without earning it, why would he work?” She proceeded to demonstrate Sam’s abilities in drug detection, allowing students to choose hiding spots for training aids that mimic the scents of illicit substances.

Beers explained the purpose of the training aids, which are designed to smell like substances such as heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamines, and ecstasy. “Sam has located these here in Sedona. From January to January, he was deployed 58 times, with additional deployments for training,” she added. Her goal for the year includes doubling last year’s deployment numbers.

As part of Sam’s birthday celebration, the students sang “Happy Birthday” and presented Beers and Sam with handmade birthday cards. Jimenez contributed a heartfelt message conveying his unique rendition of the birthday song.