A video of a dog's last bag search ended in a huge surprise for the working canine, and the internet is overjoyed by the happy moment.
The dog, named TTirado, who was 10 and a half at the time, was an explosive detection dog for TSA, or the Transportation Security Administration, at the Indianapolis International Airport for eight years.
The dog is named for New York firefighter Hector Luis Tirado Jr. who died on 9/11, according to Fox 59. TTirado's last day of work was on May 29, 2020, and his handler Keith Gray had a private ceremony for the occasion.
TTirado was one of a couple remaining dogs that came from the TSA puppy program, and he also helped work the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, and other events, including the 2017 presidential inauguration. TTirado was adopted by his handler and his family, who live in Indianapolis.
According to TSA.gov, 325 canines on average complete training with the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Program every year. Around 160 canines are in training at any given time. It costs on average $33,000 to train a dog in traditional explosives detection along with a handler, and around 83 percent of canines graduate the program.
A video showcasing TTirado's last bag search has resurfaced on Reddit in the subreddit "Made Me Smile" on March 9. The viral video, titled, "Retirement," had 76,700 upvotes in just five hours in the post shared by u/Master1718.
The shared version of the video had no sound, and TTirado wore a vest coming from around the corner to locate a red suitcase by some chairs with balloons attached. The canine sniffed the package with his tail wagging, and he sat down.
Suddenly, numerous tennis balls fell from the ceiling above the camera view, and TTirado got low to the ground and then raced toward some as all the balls fell to the ground and scattered. The dog left the camera view during all the fun, and the video cut off.
Over 60,000 people have viewed the video on Reddit so far, and over 400 comments came rolling in over the viral content. A lot of people seemed to appreciate the memorable moment, while others had jokes about the situation.
"Mental note," a Redditor joked. "Bring tennis balls when smuggling drugs."
One viewer thanked the dog for his service, adding, "and to the kind handlers who set this up for him to enjoy and for him to enjoy himself."
Some had their own thoughts about TSA-trained dogs before watching the clip. "I honestly thought they were trained to never have any fun," a viewer said. "Glad I'm wrong."
A Redditor admitted that although they are "against the war on drugs," they think the dog "is the goodest of boys and deserves the best of parties."
People had kind words for the dog's special moment. "Happy first retirement allowance doggo," a viewer weighed in.
Other comments included thoughts like, "How pure," and "This made my day."
While one Redditor thought it was "crazy" that the dog is getting more effort into a retirement gift "than most humans get from their companies."
Newsweek reached out to u/Master1718 for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
