TSA Explosive Detection Dog Retires And Gets Surprised With Tons Of Tennis Balls
TTirado doesn’t have a traditional life for a dog. He loves playing with tennis balls, just like every other dog but he doesn’t get to do so very often as he’s working at the Indianapolis airport. TTirado is an explosive detection dog.
After spending eight years of faithful service, TTirado was set to retire. His owner wanted him to go out in style, so he set up a huge ball drop to celebrate.
“It’s a coveted item during their career,” Keith Gray, TTirado’s handler, told The Dodo. “They know that they have to work for it to get it and that’s what keeps them going and keeps their motivation up.”
Every dog has their special points but TTirado seems to have been born for detection. He managed to pass every evaluation and test that came his way. Perhaps it is because he considers scent detection to be a game and he is happy with his work.
“He was the first dog that was assigned to me and the dog I kept my entire career,” Gray said. “He’s a black Lab, so he’s a fantastic, lovable pup. He’s been such a great dog to work with and I’ve learned so much from him over the years.”
Gray decided that 200 tennis balls would be available for the special day. He also established a search that would be his last.
“We had a couple of handlers that were behind the scenes ready to drop the balls when he showed up,” Gray said, according to The Dodo. “The handlers knew what to do when the dog alerts, which is basically him coming around the corner, sniffing that bag like he’s supposed to and dropping his butt to sit down.”
TTirado gave the signal that he found something and suddenly, 200 tennis balls were dropping from the sky.
You can see it for yourself in this video:
After more than 8 years of service @INDairport, @TSA explosive detection canine TTirado has officially retired. He was adopted by his handler Keith Gray and will spend retirement at home with his family. Check out this clip of his final bag search and reward! ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/efRwPFrmDi
— Mark Howell (@TSAMedia_MarkH) June 17, 2020
TTirado is just obsessed with playing fetch so this was the treat of a lifetime.
As a 9-to-5 worker, TTirado was ready to retire but he still loved his job till the end. He also found a forever home, because Gray officially adopted him and plans on taking him on some trips in the future.
As for TTirado, he’ll be hanging out with his favorite toy on a daily basis: “Now that he’s retired, he can have all the toys and tennis balls he wants and play around with them at home,” Gray said.
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