A brigade of beagles helps the US save billions at America's busiest airports

Source: CNN | March 15, 2019 | Trisha Ahmed and Saeed Ahmed

Chaze, Cardie, Marlee and Chipper, as seen from left to right, graduate into the

(CNN) – Meet America’s newest, and cutest, federal officers: a band of rescued beagles known as Chipper, Marlee, Chaze and Cardie.

Starting next week, these four will begin their careers at two of America’s busiest airports, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago’s O’Hare. They will join the hundreds of beagles already at work at ports of entry in the US and abroad.

Their mission: to sniff out bags carrying meat and plant products. Why? Because meats and plants can carry pests that could seriously hurt the economy.

Chipper gives his trainer a celebratory kiss at the graduation ceremony.

Joseph Chopko, who helped train these dogs, explains it this way:

You can’t bring in fruits, such as apples or oranges, because they can carry fruit flies. And Mediterranean fruit flies, an invasive pest, can devastate the citrus industry.

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  • Consistent March 17, 2019 at 2:52 pm #28422

    EVERYDAY March 17, 2019 at 4:03 pm #28430

    Although I love all dogs, beagles are my favorite breed, When I was a kid, a neighbor had one. That owner said this beagle was a good hunter. When she got older and retired from hunting, she would sit on the front porch and greet everyone walking by, including yours truly. That dog had a great temperament and was good with kids.

    Good to see these pups doing a good service.

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