Donna ISD Police Department welcomes new K9 officer
There’s a new big dog on campus helping keep the Donna Independent School District safe.
A 1-year-old Belgian Shephard named Amigo is the newest member of the school district’s K9 unit. The rookie K9 was named in honor of former Donna ISD police Chief Daniel Walden — who passed away in 2021 after serving 13 years with the district.
"Amigo was named after Walden’s favorite term, or word that he liked to utilize,” Donna ISD interim police Chief Domingo Aguirre Jr. said. “Anybody that knew Walden knew that he would be like 'hey amigo' or like 'what's going on amigo,' so that was something that we thought would be good to pay tribute to Daniel Walden."
Amigo is ready to sniff out any trouble.
“[He’s] getting things off of our campuses that shouldn't be on our campuses,” Aguirre Jr. said.
Amigo is living with Donna ISD police Corporal Robert Rodriguez, who said Amigo will soon be certified in drug detection.
“Being so close to the border, it's a big challenge not only for our kids but for our parents and communities that [there’s] easy access that's available out there,” Aguirre Jr. said. “We gotta utilize every tool and resource we can to help combat that."
Aguirre Jr. said K9 presence on campus is making a huge impact.
Amigo isn't on campus just to crack down on drugs, he’s also engaging with students.
“Previous dogs… weren't as friendly,” Rodriguez said. “This guy, we’re really expecting him to interact a lot more with the kids during passing periods and stuff like that."
Amigo will travel between all the middle and high schools in the district.
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