Why don't we use dogs to check for explosives in airports?

[booley]

Maybe this is a dumb question but why are we worrying about putting full body scanners in airports?

From what I can tell they wouldn't have been able to see the explosive anyway.

We have dogs (and apparently chemical sniffers) that can sense explosive materials.

And the dogs are probably a lot cheaper and less intrusive then full body scanners.

I am a lot less bothered by a dog being around me then being exposed to x-rays and being shown naked.

But I have never seen any in any airport. If there are any, they are rare.

[dkf]

1. I was wondering this myself.

Of course dogs don't generate millions for the MIC.

[pnwmom]

2. Trained dogs are actually very expensive. Training, upkeep, and

the cost of the accompanying trainer have to be factored in.

[gleaner]

6. But in the end ....

It would be a finite expense, and probably not as expensive as a full body scanner, if that is your concern. Also, the full body scanners they use in hospitals have been deemed as unsafe in terms of exposure to radiation. Dogs are not radioactive, they do not humiliate people the way a scanner would. Local police departments use them all the time, so it is not an unattainable amount. The use of scanners is extreme and never underestimate how embarrassing something like that can be.

My mother in law had terminal cancer when she came to visit us. She had lost all of her hair due to chemo, her head and body were covered with bruises and sores. She was carrying medication her doctor had certified to the airline as necessary. She had to be taken to her flight in a wheelchair because she could not walk that far on her own. She was also incontinent and carried a package of Depends in her carry on case. She was 77 years old and bone thin. It was obvious how sick she was and that she was being truthful about it. Airport security took it upon themselves to take her sealed package of Depends and rip it open in front of everyone in line. She burst into tears and begged them to stop, but they made her take off her hat, even though it was obvious why she was wearing it. They could have taken her into a private room, but they chose not to.

How sanguine are you with everyone looking at a reasonably graphic image of what your body looks like under your clothes, getting a dose of radiation every time you fly and maybe having people who observe you make fun of you, because yes, they made fun of her for crying. She died in October so she did not have to remember the incident for very long, but she was still crying when she told me about it from her home. She said she could not stop crying all during the flight, and that was not like her at all.

The dogs are the natural answer. They are a visible presence, which deters, they miss nothing and they could single out individuals for a more thorough search if necessary. Does everything we do, every single thing have to turn on expense? How much does humanity cost? We used to have it in abundance. Where did it go?

[pnwmom]

22. It's terrible what happened to your mother -- I'm very sorry.

To address some of your other points, however. The scanners elicit very low levels of radiation -- not at all comparable to medical x-rays -- they don't see inside the body.

Also, if someone doesn't want to be scanned, they can choose to have a pat-down search instead. Not everyone is as comfortable with dogs as you are, especially sniffing around in their crotch! Those people might be more comfortable with either a pat-down search or a body scan.

[gleaner]

25. I'm sorry if I came across as hostile ....

I'm really not. It's just that this touches a still raw wound. It's not you, it was what happened. I would be more comfortable with a dog, than being patted down or scanned or touched by a stranger. My husband has an ICD, a pacemaker which defibrillates implanted after an infection destroyed one of his heart valves and it had to be replaced. During the valve replacement the surgeons had wanted to bypass an area of his heart on the left ventricle which they knew had been damaged badly. They were unable to do so because the position of the infarct was right at the apex of his heart and too low to bypass. His left ventricle will always be weak and the ICD keeps his heart beating in rhythm.

The ICD came with a whole list of machinery and scans to be avoided. One of the big ones was the scanners they use in airport security now. The maker of the ICD gave him a card for Airport Security so that he could be examined manually. Even the hand scanners could trigger the ICD which would then go off and fibrillate his heart. I imagine there are many people in his situation, or who have other implanted medical devices who could not use a scanner. That and the reasons I gave before still make a dog seem like a better deal. I don't think anyone is really comfortable going through airport security to begin with and I don't think a dog would automatically be sniffing crotches. A friend has a brother who was a K9 officer and the dogs point if they smell something suspicious. Then the person is pulled aside and searched. It would probably catch more than the scanners alone.

The thing with all of this enhanced security is that each time they add a new layer, someone manages to bypass it completely. I don't know what could be done to eliminate all threats. Just getting on the plane would be so rigorous for my husband that he says he is not going to fly anymore. The part about sitting for an hour at the end of the flight and being unable to go to the bathroom would get me. I have MS and the bladder spasms that come with it in some cases. By the time I feel my bladder I cannot wait. So I think they have created a whole new class of non flyers. People with disabilities and medical conditions. I don't have any answers for that at all. For us it is one more thing on a long list of activities we can no longer perform.

[pnwmom]

26. No worries, gleaner. Flying is an ordeal for me, too.

My problem is blood clots -- I've had deep vein thrombosis after a cross-country flight, just like they warn you about. Everyone is "supposed" to be getting up and walking around the plane as much as possible, in order to stay healthy. Hah!

[gleaner]

28. Oh dear!

Those are serious. My husband had them in the hospital. They put a special kind of stocking on his legs. Would those be helpful to you on a flight, or would they do more harm than good?

Take care, and thanks for understanding.

[pnwmom]

29. Yeah, I wear them every day now. But it's still kind of scary.

And the worry about my legs just adds to the un-fun of flying.

If only families weren't so spread out these days!

[gleaner]

31. Yes, it would be scary ....

You have my best wishes and I hope you continue to do well. Maybe your family could fly to you next time. ;)

[dysfunctional press]

33. "getting a dose of radiation every time you fly.."

you DO get a dose of radiation every time you fly- and not from the body scanners- they give you about the same amount of radiation as 5 minutes in a plane at 30,00 feet. also- the body scanners used at airports are nothing like those used at hospitals, as the ones at the airport do not penetrate the skin.

[Cleobulus]

3. They do at some airports, to check luggage...

I believe the favored breed is the Beagle, though I could be wrong. It would be impractical I would think, to have the dogs check people as well.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. One can guess...

...as soon as this was introduced, it would be jumped on by a number of people: PETA, dog haters, those with cynophobia (or their supposed allies), race-baiters, and others.

[luvspeas]

5. I wondered that too...

and on the CNN website they had a video about just this thing. I don't have cable so I don't know if it was on TV. Anyway, they said that a dog would indeed easily have been able to smell the bomb, but due to liability reasons, they currently do not train the dogs to sniff people. They showed one dog that was being trained to sniff out expolsives in a group of passers-by, and he seemed pretty good. That was kind of experimental. I think the reasoning makes some sense, but I personally would much rather have a dog sniff my crotch than go through the other proposed bullshit if I actually thought it might work.

[JTFrog]

7. They use them at bus stations.

When I traveled across country by Greyhound there seemed to be dogs in every major city we stopped in.

The crazy thing is that from what I've heard, the scanners have a hard time detecting glass and liquid. I thought those were the biggest scare items. :shrug:

[Corgigal]

8. because big corporations

can't make the big bucks off of selling dogs. Now some electronic gimzo that look through clothing, with an extra dose of radiation, billions of dollars in return. Wall street and stock holders are happy.

[chimpymustgo]

11. Good answer. Dogs do seem like a natural, effective and safe solution.

[MountainLaurel]

17. Absolutely

The security industry exploded after 9-11, and they are not giving up their piece of the pie anytime soon.

[PVnRT]

9. I saw a security person walking a German Shepard around Louisville airport a week ago

[taterguy]

10. Because some people are allergic to dogs

They're useful for baggage though

[piratefish08]

12. Then why do I still see people able to carry their 'lap sized' dogs with them in the cabin

rather than having to 'check' them with the larger animals?

:shrug:

[HipChick]

14. I am allergic to dogs and cats...and have to request a seat change if seated next to someone with

a cat or dog...

[piratefish08]

21. That was my point - why should YOU have to change seats?? Shouldn't the burden be on the

passenger with the animal?

[pnwmom]

23. Because the population of small pet owners is larger than the population

of people who would object to having those pets under a seat. It's probably an economic decision.

I'm allergic to cats but I know how important pets are to people and I wouldn't object to one under a seat.

[elocs]

13. Dogs do not detect explosives by magic, molecules of the explosive material must be in the air

for the dog to smell it. If the explosive material is placed into a container and that container is then cleaned, how exactly is the dog supposed to detect anything when there is nothing for it to smell? This is not difficult to understand, think "science".

There is no perfect security measure that will at the same time be acceptable, not by man, dog, or machine.

[IsItJustMe]

16. You are right about no sure solution, but I think you would really be surprised about what a

sniffing dog can actually discover. I have heard of dogs finding drugs that were welded inside of air compression tanks, and dogs also being able to find drugs that were hidden inside of car tires.

Don't underestimate the power of that dog snote.

[elocs]

18. No matter, if there are no molecules with explosive odor to detect

no dog could smell it.

We should be thankful that these recent terrorists here seem so inept. We should be thankful that the terrorists seem to be obsessed with potential large targets such as airlines because if they really wanted to cause terror in this country there are tens of thousands of soft targets that have little or no security. True terror is when your average American is worried about getting on a bus, a train, going to the mall, or just checking their mailbox.

[KharmaTrain]

15. I've Seen 'Em...

It was at Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. TSA people were walking around with Sheppards through the crowds waiting to check in. I've also read that many airports have dogs in the baggage areas, outside of the view of passengers. It also depends on where the flights are. The focus is on International flights (our flight shared the International terminal) despite the fact 9/11 happened on domestic flights.

[mainer]

19. A dog's nose is a miraculous thing. Low tech, high sensitivity.

I'm familiar with cadaver dogs, and they are amazing work animals. There is, as yet, no machine that can match a dog's nose when it comes to sniffing out the chemicals of decomposition.

[pipi_k]

20. It certainly is...one of my (now departed) German Shepherds was able to sniff

a vinyl squeaky toy through the vinyl bag they were packaged in, inside the plastic shopping bag, from the other room.

We would play tennis ball games with her, sending her out to her yard, hiding the ball in the upstairs bedroom, then calling her back in. We told her to find her ball. She would sniff and snort around a bit, then find it every time.

I read a couple of weeks ago that a dog can actually smell a drop of blood in 5 quarts of water. Amazing.

We humans probably can't even imagine what the world must smell like to dogs.

[Romulox]

24. All dogs are needed for bong patrol! nt

[seeinfweggos]

27. not near as much money in beagles and german shepards

i would like to hear from someone who knows about it

[hughee99]

30. Now we're going to get PETA involved in this too? n/t

[LooseWilly]

32. Because bomb sniffing rats are more cost effective (and cuter) than dogs.

http://www.deanfriedman.com/zine-state/zine_stateoftheuniverse-02.html