A video of a Transportation Security Administration employee from Wayne County, Michigan, went viral on social media after he was seen mishandling a bomb-sniffing dog. The unidentified dog handler was at Detroit Metro Airport when he was recorded aggressively yanking the canine’s leash across the airport terminal.
The video was filmed from the Delta Sky Club and was initially posted to r/Delta on May 7, 2023. “I was shocked at how this airport handler is dragging this poor pup around. There’s no reason anyone should be flipping a working dog around by its harness like this,” the now-deleted caption stated.
The Reddit post quickly garnered thousands of views and raised questions around the treatment of the dog, pushing for the handler to be fired. TSA published a statement only one day after the incident.
“The behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standards we hold our officers to.”
TSA statement posted to X
Fortunately, the employee was suspended and removed from handling duties, while the explosive detection canine was taken to the veterinarian for a wellness exam.
Michael Burkey, a former dog trainer and K-9 handler, said that “turn arounds” are usually expected when training a dog. Upon watching the footage of the TSA employee, Burkey expressed that pulling the dog to the point it almost flipped over and being unnecessarily rough was inappropriate. He revealed that the dog’s behavior showed it was not ready to be put in an environment with “that many distractions” in the middle of a busy airport.
The troubling recording even brought attention from Jamie Thompson, a representative for Michigan’s 28th district. “These dogs spend much of their lives keeping travelers and fellow airport staff safe, so this video was very troubling,” she said.
K-9s are dogs specifically trained to support law enforcement and go through extensive training to protect the nation from unwanted threats of violence. In this case in Detroit, Michigan, the dog handler needed more training on how to manage these hardworking canines and was rightfully removed from his position.
