The 91st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade will have an added layer of security to protect the 1 million spectators expected to attend: a team of 14 Labrador retrievers trained to detect explosives on moving targets in large crowds, Fox News reported.
The dogs completed an 18-month Vapor Wake program that was developed at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. They are different than normal bomb-sniffing dogs, which can identify explosives in stationary objects, Fox News reported. The Vapor Wake dogs look for mobile threats and can detect the "thermal plumes left behind in a person's wake," Paul Hammond, the president of Vapor Wake training program VWK9 LLC, told Rolling Stone.
The dogs are trained to avoid the distractions of large crowds and loud noises at large events, and can sense explosive particles Wired reported.
"You will see our Vapor Wake dogs and other canine dogs on both the balloons and during the route," NYPD Chief of Patrol Terence Monahan told WABC.
The NYPD used eight Vapor Wake dogs at the Thanksgiving Day parade last year, Fox News reported.
In addition to the dogs, officers with assault weapons and portable radiation detectors will walk among the crowds, and sharpshooters on rooftops will scan building windows and balconies for anything unusual, police said.
The parade begins at 9 a.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC.
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