Kaylee Simons
Elmore Autauga News
In between search-and-rescue training exercises, hallway conversations and the occasional goofy trick for students, Merk has quietly become part of the culture at Prattville High School. Named after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Merk carries both the discipline of a working rescue dog and the calm presence students at Prattville High School have grown attached to over the years.
The certified therapy dog, owned and trained by Susan Hanson of the Autauga County Rescue Squad, has spent more than 100 hours working within the school while also assisting alongside first responders and local law enforcement during emergency response situations throughout the community. But inside Prattville High, Merk’s work looks a little different.
Sometimes it looks like students kneeling in the hallway to hug her between classes. Sometimes it looks like nervous teenagers relaxing enough to speak Spanish out loud for the first time. Other times, it looks like students learning how to emotionally regulate themselves while building trust with a working rescue dog.
Hanson said the idea first began while she was teaching Spanish at Prattville High School years ago. She started incorporating Merk into classroom lessons after noticing how naturally students connected with the dog. “For speaking a foreign language, speaking to the dog helped them relax,” Hanson said. “No judgment there. They could just talk to the dog, pet the dog and have that stress release.”
At the time, Merk was already certified in search and rescue work. Hanson would occasionally bring her into self-contained special education classrooms and resource rooms where students immediately gravitated toward her calm demeanor and playful tricks. “The kids just seemed to love it so much,” Hanson said.
Eventually, Hanson pursued additional therapy dog certification through United Canines, helping formalize Merk’s role within the school system while allowing administrators and staff to feel fully comfortable with the program.
While the Autauga County Rescue Squad is often recognized for its emergency response work throughout the county, Hanson’s involvement with students reflects another side of community service that is quieter, but just as important. Students volunteering with Merk are not only learning search-and-rescue fundamentals. They are also learning communication, patience, confidence and emotional awareness.
Hanson said students frequently volunteer through the program to earn community service hours for organizations like National Honor Society. During training exercises, students help lay tracks, assist handlers and participate in search scenarios designed to help Merk locate missing individuals. For many students, though, the experience becomes much more personal than volunteer hours alone.
One Prattville High School senior described Merk as “almost like my personal support animal,” saying difficult days at school often felt lighter whenever the dog was around.
Another student said working with Merk helped build confidence while teaching real-life rescue skills they hope to continue using in the future. “I’m going to miss working with them,” one student shared. “Hopefully one day I can be part of their team and teach other kids the same thing I got taught.”
Students also described building trust with Hanson’s second dog, Ava, during training sessions. What started as nervous interactions gradually became close bonds developed through consistency, patience and repetition.
“It’s amazing what dogs can do,” one student said during the interview.
In a way, the work of covers both sides of community care. The rescue squad responds when something has already gone wrong. But inside the school, Hanson and Merk are helping students build confidence, emotional regulation and connection long before crisis ever happens.
Even after stepping away from teaching, Hanson continued making students a priority through Merk’s therapy and rescue work. That impact is visible not just in training exercises or volunteer hours, but in the way students talk about the dogs themselves, with comfort, trust and genuine attachment. For many at Prattville High School, Merk has become far more than a working dog. She has become part of the support system.
