Dozen of Labrador retrievers brought in to the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach this week to make sure that the nation's largest golf event of the year goes off without any bombs, guns or other destructive devices getting sneaked into the course.The scent of a gun — which is actually from residue of a fired bullet — is one of 19,000 explosive compounds these dogs are trained to sniff out as members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The ATF dog units are employed at many of the largest spectator events, such as the Super Bowl, the World Series and the Kentucky Derby — a category that includes the U.S. Open.
Labradors are the ATF's dog of choice for explosives recovery, partly due to the breed's keen sense of smell. "They're better than any machine out there," said Lauren Marakas, an ATF special agent canine handler and explosives specialist "We smell spaghetti sauce, they smell everything that's in the sauce." The other reason Labradors are also used because the food-reward training method used by the ATF appeals to the breed's keen sense of appetite. Labs are known for their appetites, and explosives equal food.
While dogs trained to find illegal drugs tend to get more excited when they catch a scent, an explosives detection dog is trained to respond to detection by sitting and waiting patiently for a kibble reward. The ATF trains for a passive response because an aggressive response is not ideal when looking for something that can blow up.
It's also a rewarding partnership for the law enforcement officers, even though the dogs are officially government property, they live with their handlers and don't change partners for the entirety of their work careers. "There's never a bad day with dogs," said Marakas who wore paw-print earrings while working security at the U.S. Open on Sunday. "If you're not a dog lover, you're not going to last long as a K-9 handler."
