The TSA could have just used bomb-sniffing dogs.

[backscatter712]

They've been in use since forever, they're damned good at sniffing out even the tiniest traces of explosive material (or chemicals, or gunpowder from firearms), and while a dog might sniff your crotch, the use of dogs doesn't result in naked images of passengers or necessarily require groping.

It would be at least as effective as the porno-scanners, but far more acceptable to the public.

But then billions of dollars wouldn't be funneled to Rape-i-Scan and Skeletor...

[bobbolink]

1. That wouldn't have offended and terrified as many people... just those afraid of dogs.

As Thom Hartmann pointed out, all the groping was to punish people who refused to use the Chertoff machines.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4

[LisaL]

2. If TSA used dogs to sniff 3 year old children don't you think

that could create many problems? Especially if they are big dogs. And even if they are the most well behaved dogs in the world I imagine if they are wildly used to sniff crotches at least some passengers would end up bitten.

[backscatter712]

4. Depends on the dog.

I've seen Customs use beagles in airports as sniffing dogs - probably sniffing for drugs, or illegally imported fresh fruit in that case.

They don't have to be menacing German Shepards or Rottweilers.

[LisaL]

9. I am not against using dogs.

I am just saying, using dogs could present its own problems. Especially considering TSA doesn't exempt kids from its procedures. How will a dog react to some screaming scared three year old?

[TorchTheWitch]

56. the same way a search and rescue dog would

Dogs are specifically trained to be able to easily handle strangers especially unrully young kids and very emotional people. They HAVE to be able to deal with it placidly or they would never be certified. If it's never crossed your mind to be concerned about a search and rescue dog finding a terrified and hysterical child lost in the woods for two days alone then it shouldn't cross your mind how a bomb dection dog specifically trained to be able to placidly deal with that kind of thing either.

The typical bomb detection dog needs to be able to deal with major commotion as extensive as gunfire and explosions... they are, afterall, used in combat, and the TSA's National Explosive Detection Canine Team dogs are both breed and trained at Lackland Air Force Base where the Department of Defense Military Working Dog School is located.

The TSA already HAS an extensive canine bomb detection force since the 1970's that's been constantly expanded. These dogs are ALREADY working in virtually every major airport in the nation, just not typically on passengers.

http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/editorial_multi_image_0002.shtm

[CreekDog]

64. i saw a demonstration of a police dog sniffing a line of people

one person had an item the dog was supposed to find (it was an adult).

the dog was a golden retriever.

the dog went down the line of people and as it passed a little kid, the dog licked his face and kept going.

then found the item on another person.

:loveya:

(i'm not worried about that type of dog)

[JuniperLea]

13. Well, that's a lot of myth in one post!

Big dogs are no more likely to bite than little ones, hence the nickname "ankle-biters."

Well trained dogs do not bite. Even in attack mode when told to "take 'em down" they will only bite hard enough to keep the person still. If they struggle, the dog will bite harder. I had a dog trained for police work, but he was afraid of loud noises so I was able to adopt him. The most docile creature ever... a Doberman-German Shepherd mix... 111 lbs.

Little dogs have just as sensitive a sense of smell, and are just as trainable.

The beauty of using dogs is they can be walked all through the airport, inside and outside, in the loading area, etc. Many could be sniffed out before they even get to security.

[LisaL]

14. I don't see anything in my post suggesting that big dogs

are more likely to bite than little ones. What I was trying to say is that dogs, especially big ones, might scare some people, especially little kids.

[jeff47]

31. They don't have to get that close

The dog doesn't have to actually sniff all over the person being checked. A few feet away should be quite sufficient.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

38. Beagles are good at it

They are cute and don't scare children at all. I've seen them at the Seattle airport working for the USDA as sniffer dogs. They can walk along the baggage thing to give them better height.

[ProfessorGAC]

45. O'Hare Airport Too

I've seen them in the Customs area at O'Hare. They wear the little vest. They are actually pretty cute. I don't see even a small child being scared by one of those little dogs.
GAC

[Boudica the Lyoness]

47. Yes! Cute little green vests

with USDA on the side. I wanted to just cuddle them but they were on duty, so I resisted. :)

[TorchTheWitch]

44. they don't need to be large dogs

and they don't need to put their nose in anyone's crotch. No dog that shows any aggression whatsoever would ever be approved for any kind of work with the public. All manner of therapy dogs that work extensively with the public that are extremely widely used and no one has bite complaints and thinks it's a bad idea.

[polichick]

3. We were sniffed by dogs in customs coming from Europe into Dulles airport. nt

[RamboLiberal]

5. Actually PETN is not that discernable to dogs according to this

PETN, or pentaerythritrol tetranitrate, presents some vexing challenges to security experts. A powder about the consistency of fine popcorn salt, it will not trigger an alarm on a metal detector. Because of its more stable molecules, PETN gives off less vapor, making it more difficult to detect by bomb-sniffing dogs and the trace swabs currently in use by TSA.

-----

The best technological weapons that TSA has right now to stop PETN are x-rays of cargo and baggage and body scans of passengers. But the scanners can't see anything hidden inside body cavities, and their effectiveness relies on operators identifying something unusual.

The scanners are "just anomaly detectors. Someone has to notice, has to have some expertise," said former DHS inspector general Clark Kent Ervin, who managed covert testing teams in 2003 and 2004 that were able to get guns, knives as well as explosives through TSA screening.

There are new technologies that can detect individual explosive molecules using mass spectrometry, a technology that would be better at identifying PETN than the swab machines currently in use by TSA.

-----

Technology can only detect so much. The Yemen mail bombs were sealed in plastic and cleaned with solvents to remove PETN molecules, steps that can help foil cargo screening measures and bomb-sniffing dogs. The packages were discovered because of a tip from Saudi intelligence services.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-1124-petn-20101123,0,2000499.story

[TorchTheWitch]

49. PETN is standard for certification

I can only assume that the article you sited is talking about trace amounts of PETN rather than an amount needed to make a worthwhile explosive. It is believed that the Christmas Underpants Failed Bomber used about 80mg of PETN inside a condom... plenty enough for any certified bomb detection dog as required for certification (and as we know only successfully fried his bits). Though it isn't required for certification, bomb detection dogs can also be trained to dectect PETN detonator cord...

http://www.k9gta.com/Bomb-Dogs.html
"Bomb Dogs & Bomb Dog Handler Course:

Our bomb dogs are trained on the following explosives: Smokeless Powder, blasting/safety fuse (content black powder), TNT, C-4, Water Gel, Detonator Cord, Date Sheet, Nitro Dynamite, Sodium Nitrate, Potassium Chlorate., RDX, PETN, Ammonia Dynamite.
We have the capability, if required by the customer, to add the following odors at an additional cost per odor: Semtex, Military Dynamite, Sodium Chlorate, Ammonia Nitrate Fertilizer (ANFO), Kino Pac, HMX and PETN Detonator Cord."


Bomb detection dogs have successfully been detecting PETN for years and years.


Interesting that articles written at the time of the Christmas Underpants Failed Bomber as well as the failed shoe bomber said that a bomb detection dog would have detected the devices and only now that they're trying to foist these scanners and gropes down our throats is anyone trying to claim otherwise...

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-30/travel/bomb.sniffing.dogs_1_bomb-sniffing-dogs-explosives-handler?_s=PM:TRAVEL
Are dogs the key to bomb detection at airports?
December 30, 2009
By Chuck Conder and Kara Finnstrom, CNN

<snip>
Anti-terrorism experts say it never should have happened, and that specially trained bomb-sniffing dogs could have provided a low-tech way to detect such items.

"The fact that this individual showed up with a one-way ticket, purchased with cash and no checked baggage -- he should have been pulled aside," said security expert Larry Berg, a consultant with Berg Associates. "And at that point, if inspected by a dog, he literally could have been detected."

Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the man accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit, Michigan, had a one-way ticket from Accra, Ghana, to Lagos, Nigeria, and a round-trip ticket for his trip from Lagos to the Netherlands and then to Detroit, according to the Nigerian Aviation Authority.

About 700 bomb-sniffing dogs currently work at U.S. airports. They are trained to detect up to a dozen different explosive compounds, including PETN, the compound that AbdulMutallab is alleged to have smuggled aboard Northwest flight 253 to Detroit on December 25.


http://www.huliq.com/3257/89992/petn-bombs-commonly-used-past
PETN Bombs Commonly Used In the Past
Submitted by Michael Santo on 2009-12-28

"It is believed that Abdulmutallab carried the PETN for the bomb in a condom or condom-like device strapped to his leg. As such, a metal detetor would not have found the PETN bomg. Airport "puffer" machines, which blow air onto a passenger to collect and analyze residues, would probably have detected the PETN, as would bomb-sniffing dogs."


Even more interesting, the TSA has it's own team of bomb detection dogs and handlers and has for years that are trained to detect PETN which is standard for certification for any bomb detection dog...

http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/editorial_multi_image_0003.shtm
The TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is an effective, flexible tool used to detect explosives and deter terrorism in aviation, mass transit and cargo environments. Our teams are a mobile form of explosive detection that can be utilized in all areas of the transportation environment. There are hundreds of teams deployed nationwide based on current threats and a risk analysis. They can be deployed anywhere in the transportation system in minutes and are extremely accurate.

[pnwmom]

6. And what about people with allergies to dogs or religious

proscriptions against contact with dogs? (e.g., Muslims)

Also, highly trained dogs come with trainers and they're quite expensive.

[Glassunion]

8. What are those with religious proscriptions against the scanners and pat-downs? (e.g., Muslims)

Are dogs and handlers more expensive than the scanners?

[pnwmom]

18. Muslims don't have religious proscriptions against same-sex patdowns

24-hour a day coverage with trained dogs and handlers would be an ongoing expense that would end up being more expensive than a scanner (which wouldn't have to be purchased yearly.)

[Glassunion]

23. Muslims don't have religious proscriptions about someone seeing a naked image of their body?

[pnwmom]

51. That isn't what I said. I said they don't have proscriptions

against same-sex patdowns.

If they're modesty is offended by the scans, they can ask for the pat-down.

[Glassunion]

60. You are correct. You did not say that.

However, Muslims do even have issue with the patdowns as well.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, has expressed concern with the TSA over the regulations and recommended special procedures for dealing with Muslim women. The organization issued a travel advisory for Muslims over the procedure.

In the advisory CAIR advises all Muslims to contact them and file a complaint with the TSA if they experience any “disturbing incidents” with the new procedures and they feel they have been unfairly singled out for screening.

It goes on to make special recommendations for Muslim women wearing a hijab covering their face. The advisory says women are to inform the officer they are only to pat down the head and neck and says “They should not subject you to a full-body or partial body pat-down.” They also recommend that women should be permitted to pat themselves down and “have the officers perform a chemical swipe of your hands.”

[pnwmom]

66. I've read the actual advisory, and the snippet you've quoted

(which is flying around the Internet) has been taken out of context -- which changes the meaning entirely.

What CAIR is saying is that IF a Muslim woman is given a patdown only because of her head covering (NOT as a result of random searching of all passengers), THEN she should ask for a pat-down of the head and neck only.

In other words, they aren't objecting to full-body searches of all Muslim women, or even all Muslim women wearing head-coverings -- as long as the woman has been chosen for a pat-down as part of a random search. If she is subject to a non-random pat-down specifically to see what is under her head-covering, than the search should be confined to the head and neck area.

[Glassunion]

67. Point taken... I did not have the entire press release included in the news article I read...

However, this brings us back to your first post...

Muslims do not have issues with dogs... The majority do not keep them as pets, as they do see the dog as unclean, however they have no objections to their use.

Personally, I feel that they would be a more effective tool in finding explosives, and even if more expensive, I feel that the money would be better spent, we could create more jobs and as a benefit, keep our 4th Amendment Rights and a bit of dignity.

From Islam Online:
LONDON — As the frenzy over Muslims' stance from a police plan to use sniffing dogs in public places keeps making headlines across the UK, British Muslims affirmed that the fuss is actually about nothing, since their religion does not forbid using dogs for security reasons.
"There is no harm in using trained dogs for security purposes," Mufti Dr Shah Sadruddin, of Jamiatul Ulama UK (the Council of Muslim Scholars), told IslamOnline.net.

The controversy erupted late last month, with the newspapers reporting that some Muslims had raised objections over being searched by the explosive-detecting animals at train stations.

The issue turned into a public debate a week later, with reports that Scottish Muslims are protesting an advert publicizing the police's new non-emergency telephone number for picturing a puppy.

Scottish Muslims have rebuffed the report, stressing that a picture a dog is not offensive to their religion.

Mufti Sadruddin affirms that the issue of sniffing dogs is acceptable since it is a matter of "necessity" and security.

"They are there for a purpose, to help catch criminals and to aid safety during travel.

Sadruddin added that in Shari`ah, it's is the dog's saliva that is impure.

"But most of these dogs are trained well enough to not even make physical contact with a person."

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission in the UK, believes the issue of sniffer dogs "can be resolved with sensitivity.

"Some people might have problems praying after being sniffed," Shadjareh said. "But I understand that trained dogs don’t need to actually make physical contact."

Islam forbids Muslims to keep dogs as pets. However it is permissible to have a dog for legitimate benefits such as hunting or guarding.

Britain is home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2 million.

[pnwmom]

71. What I glean from that article is that active Muslims disagree

on whether sniffer dogs would be offensive to their religion. And there is no way to resolve this since there isn't an overall Muslim leader or group of leaders.

Aside from that issue, however, sniffer dogs and their trainers are very expensive and can't work more than a few hours at a time before the dog loses interest. The cost of hiring enough dog teams to cover 24 hr. shifts at all our airports would be prohibitively expensive -- even if that many trained dogs were available, which they are not.

[sally cat]

15. You make a valid point when you say Muslims would not allow dogs to be used.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

39. I've seen these dogs at work at the Seattle airport.

They were beagles working for the USDA. They don't make contact with people at all. They sit down when they smell something that shouldn't be there. The people in front of me had some oranges and the dog just sat by the bag.

More hair and dander could come from a dog owner removing their coat in line. Muslims would be bothered no more than they would if they walked by someone out walking their dog in public.

The people with the dogs wouldn't be expensive to hire. I'm sure even a TSA worker could handle it.

[TorchTheWitch]

46. interesting since Muslims own dogs

and there are dogs all over Muslim countries. What's this claim that Muslims can't have contact with dogs???

[Retrograde]

58. And yet we allow service dogs in public areas where animals are normally prohibited

We're supposed to be a secular country. The sniffer dogs I've seen in action (on public transport in San Francisco, no less) didn't sniff specific people, just walked through the streetcar getting a general sense of the surroundings. I don't think many people appreciate how sensitive dogs' noses are, and how much of their brains are devoted to smell. Having one pick out the scent it's trained to would be like asking a normally-visioned person pick out a redhead in a room of people: it's the dog's equivalent of a quick glance over the room.

There are false positives: a friend got picked out once by a customs dog. It turned out that she had used a bag she was carrying for picnic supplies while abroad, including some meats (which can't be brought into the US); the dog picked up the faint scent, and the human handler assessed the situation and apologized for the trouble.

[MineralMan]

7. So, how many trained bomb-sniffing dogs do you suppose

there are? Enough for every security line in the US? I don't think so. How many do you estimate there are?

[jeff47]

32. It's pretty easy to make more dogs. (nt)

[MineralMan]

37. Not so easy to train them to sniff for bombs though.

How many bomb-sniffing dog trainers are there? I do not believe that you understand the scope of the problem at all. Do you know how many passengers pass through US airports every day? Do you know how many commercial flights there are each day? Do you know how long a bomb-sniffing dog can work on a continuous basis?

I'm betting you have no idea what the answers are to any of those questions. If you did, you'd understand why using bomb-sniffing dogs is not in any way a practical solution.

[jeff47]

54. No, this is a very simple problem to solve

Hard problems are things like Climate Change and Glenn Beck's popularity.

The solution is:
1) Making more dogs (trivial)
2) Training more dogs (easy-just takes $$)
3) Putting enough dogs in the vicinity of passengers (trivial)

We put a man on the moon for god's sake. More bomb-sniffing dogs is *%&*ing easy.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. And how does a bomb sniffing dog detect a knife?

or things that are not bombs?

How about mind reading dogs, so they know intent?

[pnwmom]

19. LOL. n/t

[Edweird]

48. I'm pretty sure there are still metal detectors in the airports.

[demosincebirth]

11. Dogs can only work for so long at sniffing for explosives, then they lose interest. Two

to three hours, tops.

[jeff47]

34. You do realize it's possible to use more than one dog, right? (nt)

[demosincebirth]

40. I know that, but how many sniffing dogs would you use...at...say JFK ? Not too practical, is it?

[jeff47]

52. It's remarkably easy to make more dogs.

Yes, not all will be suitable for the job, and it will require expanding the training program. But it's really a very simple problem to solve.

[struggle4progress]

72. Let's do a crude calculation. 800 million passengers a year;

call that 800 million dog-sniffs-human annually. Suppose each sniff is, on average, two seconds. That's 1.6 billion dog-seconds or about 450 000 dog-hours annually. Suppose each dog can work 3 hours a day. That's 150 000 dogs needed. Actually, this must be an underestimate, since we'd need dogs at all the smaller airports, too, where we couldn't guarantee full three-hour dog-shifts

[TorchTheWitch]

55. they usually work 10 hour shifts, 4 days a week

Maybe you should actually look into it. No, they don't lose interest at all... any dog that lost interest after a mere two or three hours could never be certified. And of course, like people they require periodic breaks. Typically, it's their handlers that need the breaks, not the dogs, and I know this from personal experience. Working dogs THRIVE on their worker jobs whether it's search and rescue, herding, hunting, therapy, police, detection, etc.

TSA has long since had a canine bomb detection unit, and they're quite proud of it...

http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/editorial_multi_image_0003.shtm
TSA's National Explosives Detection Canine Team -
The TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is an effective, flexible tool used to detect explosives and deter terrorism in aviation, mass transit and cargo environments. Our teams are a mobile form of explosive detection that can be utilized in all areas of the transportation environment. There are hundreds of teams deployed nationwide based on current threats and a risk analysis. They can be deployed anywhere in the transportation system in minutes and are extremely accurate.

[struggle4progress]

74. Individual dogs are sniffing for explosives 10 hours a day, four days a week?

In airports? With all those other very interesting smells about?

I doubt it

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LisaL]

16. I have no clue why they are doing it, I only know that they do it.

[pnwmom]

20. The US is not Israel and there are terrorists who are not Islamic

or Muslim. Ever heard of Timothy McVeigh?

Racial and religious profiling wouldn't work in a diverse society like ours, and our Constitution isn't like Israel's.

[LisaL]

21. McVeigh did not try to blow up a plane.

[pnwmom]

22. So? Terrorists learn from each other. Another U.S. terrorist

-- or just a psycho looking for attention -- might have copied the 9/11 attack, if we hadn't made it more difficult to do so.

In fact, there was someone who flew a small plane into a building in Dallas several years ago.

[EarthFirster]

42. No you are dead wrong

Blowing up planes is strictly "Islamic Terrorist", no one else is doing it. Christians are not committing suicide-terror-violence, Buddhists rarely, in India.

McVeigh went after specifically the AFT or whoever shot the Idaho gun dealer people, and the Wacko thing, (which was a more "legit" bust.)


There is NO intelligence stating White Muslims are sneaking onboard planes with bombs to blow up, that is rare, and its not about racial profiling, its about terrorist profiling, its very in depth. Anyway, with the uproar, the Tea=tardicans might take it up as an issue, not the Neocons, Bush and Chertoff are getting too much $$$$$$$$ out of this deal.

STOP MILKING AMERICANS OFF YOUR MISTAKES....friggin basturds.

[MineralMan]

25. Get your nun costume here:

http://www.amazon.com/Women-92s-Plus-Size-Costume-Dress/dp/B000SM7WZ6

Not everyone who looks like a nun is necessarily a nun, you know. It's a great costume for someone who doesn't want to be noticed for anything but the clothing. People have been dressing as nuns and priests for a very long time to do bad things.

[jberryhill]

26. Because relevant case law under the 4th Amendment says:

That if you are going to conduct a suspicionless search for administrative purposes, then you cannot target the search.

An individually targeted search requires probable cause. A random suspicionless search is allowed under the 4th Amendment, as long as it is neutrally applied on a statistical basis or to everyone.

It's why they can't just pull over teenagers and old white farts at sobriety checkpoints - same line of cases.

If you cared about the Constitution, you'd know this.

[HuckleB]

28. Please refrain from using the term "psychotic" in this manner.

Thank you.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Some facts

there have been 80 somethings engaged in terror activities, just NOT in the US... look at Rusia.

We have had kids, as young as four, used as bomb delivery devices, just not in the US.

That said, nobody is having an adult conversation on this...

And nuns... just like women wearing a Hijab, should not be exempt...

But we are not having an adult conversation. An adult conversation means understanding the reality of it...

That said, the machines don't work, and dogs do a wonderful job.

Did I mention they arrested a guy up the road from where I live? He WAS making PETN at home.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Dogs can't detect PETN

Other than that, I agree.

[TorchTheWitch]

50. PETN detection is STANDARD for certification

and can also be trained to detect PETN detonator cord...

http://www.k9gta.com/Bomb-Dogs.html
Our bomb dogs are trained on the following explosives: Smokeless Powder, blasting/safety fuse (content black powder), TNT, C-4, Water Gel, Detonator Cord, Date Sheet, Nitro Dynamite, Sodium Nitrate, Potassium Chlorate., RDX, PETN, Ammonia Dynamite.
We have the capability, if required by the customer, to add the following odors at an additional cost per odor: Semtex, Military Dynamite, Sodium Chlorate, Ammonia Nitrate Fertilizer (ANFO), Kino Pac, HMX and PETN Detonator Cord.

Interesting, the TSA has it's own team of bomb detection dogs and handlers which have to be certified to detect PETN (and they're quite proud of them)...

http://www.tsa.gov/lawenforcement/programs/editorial_multi_image_0003.shtm
The TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is an effective, flexible tool used to detect explosives and deter terrorism in aviation, mass transit and cargo environments. Our teams are a mobile form of explosive detection that can be utilized in all areas of the transportation environment. There are hundreds of teams deployed nationwide based on current threats and a risk analysis. They can be deployed anywhere in the transportation system in minutes and are extremely accurate.

[JuniperLea]

59. Thank you!

I've been looking for this information. I know I'd seen it before, but for the life of me, my Google skills failed to help at all!

The detonators, even tiny fuses, are absolutely detectable. Dogs can be trained to sniff out just about anything... there's a lot of really bad information out there. No surprise! Chertoff wants his machines to be his retirement cash cow, no question!

[TorchTheWitch]

62. I own a scent detection dog

Not a bomb detector since they have very high rates of getting cancer because of having to sniff these chemicals so much... and he's my best buddy and I would never put him in the position where he might get seriously hurt or killed. He's a cadaver dog though uncertified since he still shows some distraction issues with other dogs. Ok, and also because he's still sometimes showing interest in wanting to taste what he finds... :puke: I'm at the point where I doubt he'll ever get certified because of these issues which really sucks because he's phenomenal at it.

Dogs can detect the most infinitesimal scent in the AIR days after it's already passed by picking up and tracking the air scent "cone" miles away to its source. Of course they'd have this uncanny ability like any animal that needs to find it's food... it's how they're species was able to survive. The very idea that a trained bomb detection dog couldn't find a load of PETN in some dude's undies is lunacy.

[JuniperLea]

65. I once owned a dog trained as a police dog...

But never made the final cut because he was afraid of loud noises, which made him useless around gunshots. He hated anything violent. We couldn't even play charades around him because he didn't like super animated movements at all. If a baby cried, he was on guard... and wanted to know who was hurting the baby! We tried out several of his 'tricks' including, "Take 'em down!" He would throw his 111 lbs on a person, and hold them until he was told he was a good boy and to let them go. He did this thing we called 'hupp' when he wanted to get our attention without barking... he made a sound that sounded like 'hupp.' If you said hupp to him, he'd hupp back. Hupp was also his way of saying yes. He snorted for no. He understood so much it was freaky.

He was amazing... my best bud, for sure. He started having seizures and I had to put him down almost seven years ago... and I'm still not over it.

Dogs are amazing creatures. I will never be without at least one if I can help it.

[TorchTheWitch]

69. life wouldn't be worth it without a dog

I feel less than naked without one. I had to put to sleep my first Akita almost six years ago... and I still get as little weepy about it sometimes.

Dogs really are amazing. Your dog said "hupp" when he wanted your attention and mine says "woo". Wow, that's funny... the "hupp" is like a speaking bark and the "woo" is like a speaking howl! So often I feel like they're almost human... only probably more evolved. LOL!

[HuckleB]

24. I'm not so sure dogs are that good at smelling out much.

A decade ago, a dog supposedly smelled "drugs" on me and four other passengers coming back to the US from Europe. Funny thing. None of us had anything on us, and we all went on our way. I've watched since, and I've seen the same scenario play out time and again.

[jeff47]

33. You probably picked up some traces from stuff you touched

The vast majority of US dollars, for example, has traces of cocaine.

[HuckleB]

35. If that's the case, then are dogs at airports worth the cost?

[jeff47]

53. If sniffing for bombs, yes. If sniffing for drugs, no (nt)

[jberryhill]

27. How many different explosives do you think one dog is trained on?

Dogs aren't machines.

[Ichingcarpenter]

30. Dogs love to smell other dogs butts and private areas

The TSA only wants to dog you.

[EarthFirster]

41. So do some people...

I mean, we are all mammals. But I dont want the TSA smelling my butt, thats for sure.

[emilyg]

36. It's all about $$$$

[TorchTheWitch]

43. they don't need to sniff your crotch

Anyone that has enough bomb material hidden on them or even in their body cavitities is plenty enough material for them to detect it from a lot farther away.

[amborin]

57. dogs can't detect PETN

[Glassunion]

61. See post #50

[TorchTheWitch]

63. PETN detection is STANDARD for certification

See my post #50

[Catherina]

68. Too late to recommend n/t

[undeterred]

70. My dog works in triage at an STD clinic sniffing crotches.

He's able to detect people with various STDs and herd them into separate groups before they are seen by medical staff.

No, not really. But I think its a job he could do.

[BlueIris]

73. I'm actually not unopposed to this idea. Most drug dogs I've met

are a hell of a lot better behaved than the TSA freakazoids I've encountered.