Tift County High School students may notice a new face stalking up and down the halls this semester.

Magic, a detection dog owned by Interquest Detection Canines of Georgia, will be making random visits to the TCHS main campus and the Northeast Campus of TCHS over the course of the school year, searching for drugs, alcohol and other contriband.

This is not the first time that the Tift County School System has employed the services of a detection dog, said Gina Cox, the Tift County Board of Education’s Student Services and Safe and Drug-Free Schools Coordinator.

“In the past, local law enforcement had provided this service,” Cox said.

Now, Interquest staff and Magic will be in charge of making sure that prohibited materials stay out of Tift County schools.

The students have already been introduced to Magic, during an orientation session that allowed the students to get to know her a little and grow comfortable in her presence.

“This dog was incredible,” Cox said. “She did a demonstration in the assembly at the high school and was able to sniff out a bookbag that contained a closed bottle of Advil, another bookbag that contained a can of unopened beer and another bookbag that contained a bag of firecrackers. This little dog could find anything.”

Magic and her handlers will visit TCHS and Northeast Campus at least once per month, Cox said, and probably more. The service is being paid for by federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools money.

Interquest, the company contracted to provide the search services, has been in the detection dog buisness for more than 25 years, and provides services for over 10,000 schools around the nation, according to the company’s Web site.

“Interquest uses friendly, non-aggressive retrieving breeds such as spaniels, golden and Labrador retrievers,” the site says. “Their canines are trained on specific scents including alcohol, prescription medications, firearms, ammunition, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and fireworks.”

Cox said that Magic fits the non-aggressive mode.

“She just sits to alert the handler that she has found something,” she said. “She works for a reward, which is playing with a toy.”

To contact reporter Nick Danna, call 382-4321, ext. 214.