Have you flown out of BWI [Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport] lately? If so, you may have had a new experience while standing in the security line when you and your carry-on bags were sniffed by a German Shorthaired Pointer named Bigi.
Smelling for explosives at the security checkpoint is a new canine duty at BWI this year. It’s another layer of the TSA’s [Transportation Authority Administration] safety net, as the agency works to prevent explosives from passing into BWI’s boarding area.
There are 82 canine teams working at airports across the country as part of the Explosives Detection Canine Team. Bigi is one of the team’s newest members, on duty with his handler, Steve Baibos at BWI for about 7 months, after completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
This program, of course, expanded after 9-11, but, in fact, the use of explosive-sniffing dogs at airports goes back decades. A dog found a bomb on a TWA jet back in 1972 just 12 minutes before it was set to detonate.
Dogs in this program have a singular purpose. They don’t search for drugs. Their expertise is finding the scent of explosives and notifying their handlers where the scent is coming from.
They’re trained using positive reinforcement. Bigi’s success is rewarded with praise and his favorite toy, not food — good sense in an airport where food is virtually everywhere.
That positive reinforcement drives the dogs in the their work.
“Everything is getting that toy and that reward,” says K-9 Supervisor Damon Hopgood.
Explosive-sniffing dogs live with their trainers, and Baibos says there’s never a day when Bigi doesn’t want to come to the airport.
“When I get up in the morning,” he says, “as soon as my alarm goes off, he jumps up. He’s ready to roll, ready to get to work.”
When Bigi is older, he’ll retire. Trainers get first dibs on adopting their retiring dogs, and, Baibos says there’s no question, Bigi will stay with him.
After all, these two are partners 24/7. They spend every day building a bond of trust, as they work to keep us safe in our travels.
You might be more accustomed to seeing German Shepherds in this kind of work, but, in fact, the TSA likes using floppy-eared dogs like Bigi. They look less intimidating.
And, of course, Bigi often has a big yellow ball in his mouth as a reward. With the floppy ears and the ball, he can look just like your average happy-go-lucky fellow. But don’t let that fool you. Finding explosives is important business, and Bigi takes his job seriously.
So if you see him at BWI, don’t pet him. He’s working!
Watch this short video to meet Bigi and see him in action at BWI.