Federal & State
Police
Police canines are specifically trained to aid law enforcement personnel. They are typically used for a variety of projects including patrol work, search and rescue, detection of drugs, alcohol, and narcotics, and track and cadaver searches. The breeds generally used for each of these specialties are German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labradors. Police canine handlers bring their canine home with them daily. The relationships at home vary depending on each handler. Some handlers might allow their dog to play with their kid or sleep in their bed, while others may need/want to distinguish more of a separation between work and play.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses canine teams as a way to detect and identify explosives within airports and other forms of transportation across the United States. Typically, these dogs are used to screen passengers before they go into the checkpoint to make sure they are clear of any explosive material or drugs. The dogs are also used behind the scenes to detect narcotics in packages that are shipped via air transportation.
Border Patrol
At the United States Border Patrol and US Customs, dogs are mainly used for security purposes. In this respect, dogs at the border are used in the same ways that police dogs are used. However, border patrol and police differ from federal and state, so they do not work together. Border Patrol and US Customs fall under federal regulation while Police falls under state regulation. These dogs differ from others in the way that they do not go home with their handlers. Instead, the handlers bring their canines to a kennel at the end of each day. According to U.S Customs and Border Protection, dogs act in respect to anti-terrorism and homeland security when working for Border Patrol.
Arson Detection
Canine Arson Detection teams are trained to detect ignitable liquids that may cause harm to the environment or individuals. These teams are able to improve fire investigations to determine where a fire incident happened and assist in the collection of samples. According to the Nassau County Fire Marshals Office, their canines can identify within three inches of a flammable substance. There are six different classifications of flammable substances that these dogs are trained to detect: gasoline, light, medium, and heavy petroleum distillates, naphthenic/paraffinic, and isoparaffinie products.
Fast Facts
While a dog's brain is only 1/10 the size of a human brain, the part that controls smell is 40 times larger than in humans.
More than 300 dogs took place in the rescues on 9/11
According to Falconbridge Animal Hospital, a dog’s sense of smell is about 1,000 to 10,000,000 times more sensitive than a human’s sense of smell. Therefore, when it comes to tasks like tracking, success rates are much higher with canines on the job.
According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, after the attack on 9/11, the use of search and rescue dogs in police and border patrol settings became much more prominent than ever before. It was clear that police canines were effective after more than 300 dogs assisted in working non-stop to rescue thousands of civilians. The dogs worked with their human counterparts until the last living person was found 27 hours after the attack.
There are only six Vermont State Police bomb dogs
There are three bomb dogs based out of Vermont’s Burlington International airport and only 3 others dispersed across the state. Vermont TSA canine handler, Bob Banach, says if there is a call for any type of bomb threat within the state, these teams cover it and they must travel from wherever they are based out of to help in these emergencies. The bomb detection canine teams in the Burlington International Airport cover the northern half of the state while the other three cover the southern half.
