TSA adding canines at Atlanta airport

The Transportation Security Administration is adding its first passenger-screening canines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The two dogs have arrived in Atlanta to be trained and get acclimated to the airport and their new homes, and are expected to be certified to start screening passengers late this year. Jo, a German shorthaired Pointer, and Dougie, a Labrador retriever, are trained to sniff out explosives and components to make explosives on passengers.

TSA already uses passenger-screening dogs in other airports. Kids and others aren’t allowed to pet the dogs while they’re working, but the canine handler can hand out trading cards featuring the dog.

The agency has 11 canine teams at Hartsfield-Jackson, but those dogs focus on cargo screening rather than passengers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Atlanta airport police also use dogs for other purposes.

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