February 22, 2010,
MELINDA SPAULDING
Texas
"Dog Trained to Identify Landmines"
HOUSTON - They're the dogs that go on the front lines to keep people safe. K-9's that help sniff out land mines around the world.
Students at Memorial High School got the chance to see first hand how the dogs work and how they can help prevent the deaths and injuries of twelve thousand people a year.
The Marshall Legacy Institute works with CHAMPS International to place the dogs where they're needed.
"Every 20 minutes, there's some child around the world that's hurt by a landmine," says Perry F. Baltimore, President of Marshall Legacy Institute. "So these children learned that they can make a difference in the world by taking advantage of an opportunity we provide, a fun filled opportunity, to really express their global citizenship and getting involved and helping to adopt one of these life saving dogs that save and improve lives of people all around the world."
The organization gives 145 of the life saving dogs, which are trained in Somerset, Texas, to countries around the world.
Eighteen of them have been sponsored by schools like Memorial High School. The dogs made the students more aware of the dangers posed to kids in other parts of the world.
"You never know. You could be out playing football with your friends and you could use your leg pretty easily. It's kinda scary. I play in my backyard everyday and I don't think about it,' says student Emily Pollak.