New K-9s sniff for explosives at Pittsburgh International Airport
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh International Airport has some new Homeland Security agents on duty -- but these ones are on leashes.
Inside Pittsburgh International's landside terminal, DHS Agent Freya Rossi and her K-9 partner, also named Rossi, are on patrol.
Agent Rossi and Rossi are some of the first TSA and Department of Homeland Security K-9 teams to walk Pittsburgh International literally sniffing for trouble.
The Rossi team is joined by agent Matthew Blust and his canine agent Ribanc.
Blust explained to KDKA-TV how the dogs do their duty saying, "A person has an IED on them, she can pick up the wake and actually pull the handler toward that person."
K-9 Rossi just finished up a tour of duty in Indianapolis and Ribanc arrived from Las Vegas. Before that: 12 weeks of training. K-9 Rossi is a German shepherd-Belgian malinois mix. K-9 Ribanc is a German shorthaired pointer.
The dogs are not trained to be aggressive. They concentrate on following their noses and when they do well, it's playtime.
And when they're off the clock, like a lot of dogs, it's time to hit the couch. Meanwhile, if you are at the airport and see any of these handlers, don't get too close. The dogs are on the clock.
"We do ask you, do not pet. They wear their 'do not pet' on their collars. If people pet them, they won't focus on their job, which is finding explosives," Rossi told KDKA-TV's Ross Guidotti.
