SAN ANTONIO – The Transportation Security Administration held a dedication ceremony Friday for the opening of its new $12 million canine training center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
It’s the second-largest canine training center in the nation and the South Texas climate allows them to train all year around.
With the help of canines, TSA officers screen nearly 2 million passengers every day.
But before these dogs can be put to work at our airports, they must go to school.
"They are very hyper, rambunctious dogs. The first 20 days of training or so, you're like, ‘Why do I do this for a living?’ And day 21, 'OK, now I realize why I do this' and then you get to this stage, and it’s like, 'Wow this is great'," TSA canine trainer Christopher Knight said in describing the process.
Time, patience and even maturity play roles.
Knight trained 2-year-old German shorthair pointer named Coki.
“Compared to a human, you have a 1-year-old dog- it’s more of a puppy. A 2-year-old is more of a teenager and maybe he's ready to serve in the military. A 3-year-old is like an adult," Knight explained.
The dogs are handpicked and must meet a set of criteria. Then, they are sent to a facility like the one at JBSA-Lackland to undergo weeks of rigorous training.
The TSA canine training program outgrew its old building, which is why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the new 25,054-square-foot facility, which houses seven classrooms and an auditorium. This new facility is also located closer to the training field and the kennels used by the dogs and their handlers.
The training consists of different life-like scenarios to prepare the dogs for their jobs out in the field.
"That (is) on aircraft, its cargo, its baggage, and all different kinds of environments," said TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger.
These dogs just don’t pick up the scent of chemicals and explosives on baggage anymore..
"With the new trend and with what's happening in the world today now, we do a lot of training with the devices planted on the person. It’s a new entity and we've been pretty successful so far," said TSA canine trainer J.J. Wilson.
The TSA trains about 250 canine-handler teams at Lackland every year.