TSA Making Changes – To Their Canine Workforce
The TSA is making a canine change-up in their working force, and it has a little to do with how people respond to the dogs’ ear shape.
By DAVID on December 26, 2018
If you spent any time in an airport over the holidays, you may have noticed. I say “may have” because they’re just beginning to make their changes, but it’s going to happen. They’re doing away with their pointy-eared 4-legged inspectors, and going towards more floppy-eared pups.
One of the reasons given is because dogs with pointy ears tend to “scare children.” David Pekoske is a TSA Administrator, and he says “We find the passenger acceptance of floppy ear dogs is just better. It presents just a little bit less of a concern… Doesn’t scare children.” Essentially, the TSA is going to use more floppy-eared dogs in airports to make travellers feel a little more comfortable. The TSA say they aren’t “ruling out” dogs because of pointy ears – they’re still screening all of them. They just seem to be doing what they can to choose more floppy eared ones.
The breeds in question are “Labrador Retrievers, German Short-haired Pointers, Wirehaired Pointers, Vizslas, and Golden Retrievers.” These breeds are considered “sporting dogs.” They’re chosen because, well, that’s what breeders are breeding. Over the past year, 80% of the new dogs the TSA has acquired are these sporting dogs. Typical “working dogs” (German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois-es) make up only 20% of dogs chosen. See some more information over here.