Meet the many dogs of Philadelphia International Airport who work to keep the airport safe

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With more than a million passengers expected to come through Philadelphia International Airport over the two-week holiday stretch, safety is a top priority. Along with TSA agents and law enforcement, dogs are also patrolling checkpoints and terminals.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen dogs were on hand to show off their expertise and skills in keeping the airport secure and calm.

Six-year-old Zorro, a German Shorthaired Pointer is a TSA bomb-sniffing dog. He works solely at PHL sniffing through crowds of people in line at security checkpoints.

"We don't physically touch them, they go by us, we walk behind them and catch the air that's coming off them," said Zorro's handler Joe Zappala. Zorro is trained to sit if he detects an explosive or follow the passenger if he smells something on a person.

The TSA has more than 1,000 canine handler teams all over the country serving as a consistent source for detecting explosives and providing a visible deterrent to terrorism.

Other canines work behind the scenes like Byron, an agriculture-sniffing dog who inspects international packages. In a demonstration, four packages were laid on the floor. Byron easily found the fruit in one of the boxes and pork in another. He sat next to the packages and didn't budge, his way of flagging his handler.

As passengers, it can be easy to instinctually pet a passing dog but handlers encourage you to note the vest they're wearing. Most of the detection dogs will wear vests that say, "Don't pet."

"Petting is interrupting his job. It's a distraction and we don't want to be distracted for [from] what we're doing," said Zappala.

However, comfort dogs work the airport too and their sole job is to let you pet them. They usually wear blue vests that say "Pet me."

Lisa Baumann voluntarily brings her boxer, Aruba to the airport as a way to give back to the community and help people. They walk through security and up and down the terminals finding people who need her unique canine comfort.

"When she feels somebody's really nervous, she parks in and they hug her and can calm down with her," Baumann said of Aruba.

Whether there to sniff for explosives or enjoy a belly rub, these dogs have undergone hefty training to be in position to make our airport safer.  

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• Philadelphia International Airport
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