I love this article from the Star-Ledger about bomb sniffing dogs who transform to family pets at night and on weekends.

As one expert says: “Your dog’s never going to work harder than for the person that he loves,” said Bryan Szostak, treasurer of the Michigan-based National Association of Professional Canine Handlers.

The dog’s handlers are responsible for feeding them too, funded by the TSA, of course. “They’re considered a piece of equipment, so you want to make sure your equipment is well-maintained,” according to Szostak.

One bomb-sniffing dog, Stella, even suffered through evacuation with her family during Hurricane Sandy.  She was carried through the flooded streets of their town by a family friend.

Read the full article here:

BOMB SNIFFER BY DAY, FAMILY PET BY NIGHT

TSA canine handlers can’t leave their work at the office. It’s not allowed.

The Transportation Security Administration has had a K-9 program in its cargo screening compliance unit since 2007, when full-time handlers were paired with German shepherds, Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers trained to sniff out bombs in cargo shipped in the belly of commercial airliners.

Like their counterparts in other security and law enforcement organizations, TSA K-9 handlers have full responsibility for the care and feeding of their four-legged partners. And that means taking them home overnight and on weekends, where man’s best friend is likely to bond with man’s wife and children as well.

via Dual-purpose dogs: TSA canines are bomb sniffers by day, family pets by night | NJ.com.