Pooches taken from shelters to airport to sniff out bad agriculture

NEW YORK - With four little feet shuffling between bags that tower over his frame, six-year-old rescue beagle Jasper is following his nose through the baggage claim area of Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. He's leading his partner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialist Amanda Tripple on the hunt for prohibited fruit, vegetables, meat and other agriculture.

"The most exotic he's hit on is bear meat coming from Russia," Tripple told CBS News.

Jasper is one of five CBP Agriculture canines at JFK. All are beagles rescued from shelters who are trained to sniff out prohibited agriculture that may be in the luggage of international travelers entering the U.S., items the government fears could contain invasive species or diseases. There are more than 150 such dogs working at airports across the country.

"Our job is to protect American agriculture we're concerned about insects, diseases, pests that could be on those different fruits, vegetables and meats," says Supervisory Agriculture Specialist Jim Armstrong. "They could be carrying pests that we don't have in the United States that could cause great harm to agriculture."

When Jasper 'hits' on a bag that may contain prohibited items, Tripple will question the owner of the bag about its contents and those bags will be given additional screening by agriculture officers. Prohibited items, if discovered, are seized and destroyed in an industrial grade food shredder. Passengers are supposed to declare to customs officers any agriculture they are bringing into America, and officers give passengers multiple chances to amend their declaration paperwork after the dog hits on a bag.

"Some of it is innocent. You may have an apple in your pocket or a sandwich for your trip, that's fine," says Armstrong. "There are other folks that know it's not allowed and they are trying to get it in."

Jasper's nose leads him to small pieces of fruit buried inside a passenger luggage and can also find items a traveler may be trying to sneak past Customs officers.

"Some things things will be concealed," Says Tripple, "they'll conceal things, wrap it up and there's no way of seeing it on the x-ray machine."