Traveling state to state, anytime soon? If you live in the U.S., you might encounter a Security Dog, at the airport. It's nothing new, actually. I remember the last time I flew out of Rochester, NY...we saw some German Shepards being led down one of the corridors. They weren't being used to sniff out issues with passengers, but I suspect they were being used to check out luggage.
I don't have a clue what issues they might have been brought in for...but the fact remains, dogs are great tools for security of many kinds.
In fact, this goes back farther than the most recent incident, which we won't rehash here. Having dogs at airports goes back at least to early 2008 - as shown in this story from ABCNews: "Airplane Secrity Gone to the Dogs." In the story, the dog mentioned is called King - fitting, don't you think? King, the story says, "...loves going to work. He's confident, energetic, driven and flexible." A perfect 'employee' - wouldn't you agree? That he's a dog makes it all the more news-worthy - making it a story worthy of our blog.
CNN is making fun of the story, in a serious but humorous way (they aren't discounting the need for security, they're just poking fun of the fact that dogs like to...get personal, sometimes). I, for one, would rather have a dog sniffing me all over (yes, all over) than have some machine probing my personal space. Machines break down, the humans reading the images could be...less than attentive, there are all sorts of issues I have with using technology to keep me safe at airports. Dogs, now...they're pretty darn reliable.
Dogs do what they're taught to do. If they're taken care of properly, they seldom get sick. And, they're happy to do our bidding. I guess combining their training with the airport security machines, is a good idea. Covering all the bases, so to speak. It's just more comforting to know a dog, a trained dog, is on patrol for my safety, than knowing a machine (inanimate object) is in control.
Hey, let me be honest...I use a computer - a highly functional machine - on a daily basis. And, it fails me on a daily basis. My dog never failed me. Dogs are steadfast and trust-worthy.
Let's hear it for the folks at Transportation Security who recognize that and continue to use dogs at airports.
p.s. so, these dogs are adoptable... check it out here.