A Day in the Life of Bara, the Bomb Sniffing Dog
Bara
and her handler were trained at a special military program at Lakeland
Air Base in Texas. This program started in the mid 70's. Boston was one
of the six cities first enlisted in the program.
Bara started her work very young; she was only a year old. The program uses a variety of dogs, such as German shepherds, Belgian malinois, Labrador retrievers and vizlas.
In this program a police officer/handler goes for a 3-month training in Texas. Once the training is completed the pair (dog and handler) go home for further work. They must work together for 6 months before they are officially certified to do real business.
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will evaluate the team every year at airports to recertify the team.
On a typical day, Bara and her handler will make five or six checks for possible bombs on planes, in bags or in a vehicle. Bara gets a break just like most workers, but hers is not coffee! Usually she just gets to play for awhile.
Bomb sniffing dogs like Bara need frequent and consistent training to keep them sharp. Two days a week is dedicated to training. When bomb sniffing dogs get the scent of an explosive they are trained to sit in front of it and wait for their reward. Rewards are either toys or food depending on the dog.
Sometimes these dogs get to check places other than airports for bombs. Large concerts or sporting events are often places where these dogs are used. Places where dignitaries would be present are also quite often checked for bombs. Next time you are at an airport, think of Bara and the other bomb sniffing dogs who are helping to keep airplane travel safe.
