Rick Rodden and his 9-year-old Weimaraner, Kasey, are not your average dog/owner duo. Together they work behind-the-scenes, quietly providing an extra set of eyes (and a nose) to keep General Motors employees safe.
Rick and Kasey form the K9 unit on GM’s Tactical Response Team, a branch of GM Global Security dedicated to protecting GM’s employees, leaders, and guests. The duo provides explosive and firearm detection on GM campuses, with Kasey sniffing out potential threats at events like the recent centennial celebration at Milford Proving Ground, employee town halls and more.
Rick’s journey as a K9 handler began in 2000, training police dogs in firearm and explosive detection, handler protection, and fugitive apprehension for local law enforcement departments.
In 2016, GM launched its own K9 unit and onboarded its first four-legged employee: a young Weimaraner named Kasey. But training Kasey as a detection dog turned out to be a bigger challenge than anticipated - and that’s where Rick jumped in.
“I had heard that GM brought on a K9, so I hit every bookstore between Canton and Cadillac to learn about her breed,” he said. ‘I joined GM as a tactical security officer and officially became Kasey’s trainer in 2017.”
Weimaraners are typically unsuited as police dogs, but Kasey has excelled with Rick’s training. She’s been certified by the US Police Canine Association (USPCA) since 2017 and nationally certified since 2021. In 2023, Kasey earned the title of ‘top dog’ when she achieved first place during national certification, beating out dogs from across the U.S.
This year, Kasey went to Texas to defend her title but lost to a dog from the CIA by a half-point. Rick is still as proud of her as ever - after all, “she’s still number 2 in the nation!”
