Reviewed by: Elizabeth Hobbs
Meet Alabama’s first firearm detection K9 (in health care) who’s keeping you safe in Huntsville
Reading time: 5 minutes
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Did you know that two of the reasons you feel safe every time you visit Huntsville Hospital have tails and like to bark?
Read on to learn about how Huntsville dogs Mollie and Daisy are innovating security in health care, plus some changes at the hospital that will make your future visits easier.
Meet Mollie + Daisy
Mollie and Daisy are not your typical dogs.
Don’t get us wrong, they like to do all the typical dog things—run, chase their toys, sleep, get belly scratches. But they also have some highly specialized skills, with Molly being trained in narcotics and Daisy in firearms.
Mollie came on staff at Huntsville Hospital in 2022 when they started the canine security program, which was the first canine security program inside a healthcare system in Alabama.
Daisy recently joined the staff, becoming the first firearm detection canine inside a health care organization in the state.
To learn more about how the canine program is innovating security, we spoke to Calvin Ousby Jr., who’s been at the hospital for 15 years and works as the canine program and security operations supervisor.
“Having canines in healthcare security is another tool in our tool belt. We are making our patients and employees feel safe. Our regular patrols are a way to be proactive and create an extra layer of security. Our main strategy with the canines is to de-escalate situations before they compound.”
Calvin Ousby Jr., Canine Program + Security Operations Supervisor at Huntsville Hospital
Plus, we learned from Brett Bramlet, HH Director of Safety & Security, that 70% of all workplace violence incidents decrease when canine teams are present.
Calvin and Mollie attended the 2023 NNDDA (National Narcotic Detector Dog Association) K9 Seminar and Certification Course in Georgia. The HH Security K9 Team topped approximately 120 police departments and finished in 1st Place for Narcotics Detection.
What does a typical day look like for the canines?
These dogs—as well as their handlers—had to go through intensive training before being placed at Huntsville Hospital. Plus, each month, they have to complete around 16 hours of training to stay on top of their game.
Just like all other hospital staff, they work around 40 hours a week, but they’re with their handlers all the time. At the hospital, it’s all work and no play, but at home, they get to enjoy belly rubs, run around and play with their favorite toys.
Wondering what happens if a handler goes on vacation? The hospital has secondary handlers assigned so all operations keep going smoothly.
Check out the visitation guidelines to prepare for your next trip to Huntsville Hospital.
An easier way to check in at the hospital
If you have questions, an HH staff member can walk you through the kiosk process. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast) 
One of the questions you’ll be asked is to indicate the purpose of your visit. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast) 
Your printed name tag will indicate the floor(s) to which you have access. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)
What’s one way you can make Mollie and Daisy’s job easier? We’re glad you asked—Huntsville Hospital just rolled out a new kiosk system that you’ll use on your next visit.
This system increases safety at the hospital by ensuring that all guests check in and out with an official ID and are entered into the system. Check out other ways the kiosks will assist safety measures at HH:
- Security officers now have more bandwidth to patrol + keep the hospital safe.
- Some patient rooms may be limited to a certain number of visitors.
- The kiosk system is tied to the National Sex Offender database so registered names will come up as a match.
Pro tip: If you need help figuring out the kiosks, ask a security officer to assist you. And don’t forget to bring an official form of ID (driver’s license, military ID, passport, etc.) with you!
Huntsville Hospital’s commitment to keeping YOU safe
Did you know that Huntsville Hospital recently won an international award for its security department? They scored the Lindberg Bell Award, which is given to the top security department by the International Association for Healthcare.
“Security is all about customer service. We’re the first and last people you see when you come to Huntsville Hospital.
We train the team to greet each person and try to make a difference. Sometimes, our team may have bad days as well, but it’s like Superman—we put this badge on, and we have to go to work.”
Calvin Ousby Jr., Canine Program + Security Operations Supervisor at Huntsville Hospital
Check out the new kiosk system during your next visit to Huntsville Hospital.
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