Amy Halm believes the road to recovery starts with discovery.
Halm is a K-9 handler by trade.
She started Desert Drug Dog roughly 8 years ago in Chandler after adopting a retired narcotics police dog. It’s a unique business that offers sniffing snouts in a private and discrete manner.
"I would love to lose this job because there's no need, but there is a big need," Halm said.
We put Amy and handler Hannah Arendall to the test.
Cottons balls soaked with the scent of drugs across an 800 square foot apartment were hidden. Amy then took Caela, a Belgian Malinois, across the apartment. In 20 minutes, all three drug scents were found.
“People actually get so creative that they take apart machines," said Arendall.
Halm brings dogs like Caela to homes, shelters, schools and recovery centers.
Both Scottsdale Recovery and Community Bridges utilize Halm’s business. Unfortunately, Halm is also going to homes where the users are often teens.
She had the following advice for parents: "Help them learn coping skills because what I see are people are using drugs because they don't know how else to cope with things in their life."
She also recommended that parents visit online and in-person resources to seek out help.
