WASHINGTON The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released its annual calendar today, which honors the agencys more than 1,000 explosives detection canines working in the United States. TSAs 2022 Cutest Canine Contest winner, Eebbers, is featured on the cover of the.
Eebbers, now retired, is an 11-year-old explosives detection canine who worked at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He was named in memory of 19-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. James Ebbers who passed away on Oct. 14, 2002, in Djibouti, Africa, while assigned to the 551st Military Police Company, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
TSA uses canines as part of its multi-layered security operations nationwide. These highly skilleddogs are trained to detect the scent of explosives or explosive materials and are paired with handlers who use the working canines keen sense of smell when on duty throughout the nations transportation system.
Each canine recruit spends 16 weeks in training at the TSA Canine Training Center, located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio. The canines meet their handlers, socialize to adapt to busy transportation environments, and learn their craft of detecting a variety of explosive odors before reporting to their duty stations. TSA trains about 300 canines each year.
The 2023 TSA Canine Calendar features photos and fun facts about each of this years 13 canine winners who were selected from dozens of entries submitted by TSA canine teams from across the country. This years canine selections came from the following airports in order of appearance in the calendar:
* Dusan: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
* Rossi: Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
* Tom-Magnum: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
* Shadow-Shaw: John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
* Djole: LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
* Loki: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
* Szonja: Luis Muoz Marn International Airport (SJU)
* EEbbers: MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport (MSP)
* Egyes-Abel: Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
* Messi: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
* Ava: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
* Tex-Teepe: San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
* Teo: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Each canine and its handler serveas a reliable resource for detecting explosives as well as providing a visible deterrent to terrorism across all transportation modes. Once on duty, these canines work to safeguard passengers and cargo across the nations transportation systems. To find out more about what it is like to be an explosives detection canine handler, see our Explosives Detection Canine Handler video.
Visit TSA.gov for more information about TSAs Explosives Detection Canine Program. The is now available for immediate download or for order through a special arrangement with the FedEx print office.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
