Culture

Want A Dog? Try A TSA Canine Dropout

TSA reminded people that you can adopt the dogs that didn't quite make the grade for becoming TSA bomb-sniffers.

Want A Dog? Try A TSA Canine Dropout
Getty Images / Alex Wong
SMS

If you didn't get good grades in school you might have something in common with the dogs the Transportation Security Administration wants people to adopt.

The TSA reminded people that dogs who failed their bomb-sniffing test are available for adoption.

But let's not judge them too harshly for flunking. The pups had to go through 12 weeks of intensive training

Retired TSA dogs are also available for forever homes. Every year they have to go through a grueling recertification process.

The dogs range from 2-year-old puppies to distinguished ten-year-olds. Breeds available include Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds.

The working TSA canines live with their handlers and many live life as a family dog on nights and weekends, according to NJ.com. Often, the dogs are adopted by them when they retire. 

TSA said most of the canines aren't used to living in a home because they lived in kennels. All pups are spayed and neutered prior to adoption. Also, they're free. 

So if the TSA dogs are the highlight of your airport security experience, you can email TSA for an application and be ready make the trip to San Antonio to claim your new best friend. 

But it's pretty competitive. Back in July, TSA received more than 500 applications. The program launched in 2011 and it's helped more than 100 dogs find homes.  

This video includes Getty Images.