TSA explosives detection canine retires from his job screening for explosives at Pittsburgh International Airport and is showered with toys and treats

Baro sits in his truck on the way to work at the airport. (TSA photo)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Baro, a 9-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer, is ready for his last run as a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) explosives detection canine who specializes in screening passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).

The dog is ready to trade in his working vest for afternoons lounging in bed.

TSA held a surprise retirement party for Baro today. He "hit" on a suitcase with an explosive scent and when he did, onlookers showered him with toys and dog treats. See video.

Baro is a lovable and hard-working dog who has high energy when sniffing for possible traces of explosives at the airport. As a TSA explosives detection canine, he has been accustomed to training regularly and getting rewarded by playing with his large black Kong chew-toy. Now he doesn't have to wait to play with his favorite toy. When off-duty, he enjoys running in fields and then relaxing in bed. More of that is surely in store for him in retirement.

Lawrence Sharp, Baro's handler, has been working with the dog since 2017, the first seven years at LaGuardia Airport in New York and more recently, just this summer in Pittsburgh.

Sharp, who has worked for TSA since 2009, first as a part time TSA officer, then as a Supervisory Training Instructor before becoming an Explosives Detection Canine Handler in 2017, has such a strong bond with his canine partner that he will officially adopt Baro in retirement, transitioning him from a working dog into a pet so the two will continue to stay together. Baro is retiring because Sharp has been promoted to be the Canine Supervisor at Pittsburgh and the dog is too old to be retrained to work with a different handler.

In his role as a supervisor, Sharp will not have another dog, instead he will oversee the other explosives detection canines at PIT who will be screening travelers

Lawrence Sharp with Baro (TSA photo)

During his last week of work at Pittsburgh, Baro was joined by several TSA employees and invited guests to celebrate his retirement at a surprise party. A training aid was concealed in a piece of luggage and Baro and Sharp searched the area. When Baro "hit" on the device, he was rewarded with a ton of dog treats that he didn't know what to do with (just kidding, he ate them all).

On Baro's last day, Sharp will remove Baro's "Do Not Pet" patch from his harness, which officially signals that the dog is no longer a working canine and can be petted.

TSA trains each of its explosive detection canines at the TSA Canine Training Center, located at Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland in San Antonio, Texas. Considered the "Center for Excellence" for explosives detection canine training, the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is the Department of Homeland Security's largest explosives detection canine program.

About 300 canines complete the training annually. Each canine recruit spends 16 weeks in training where they meet their handlers, socialize to adapt to busy airport environments, and learn their craft of detecting a variety of explosive odors before reporting to their duty stations.

TSA has more than 1,000 canine handler teams deployed in support of security and screening operations nationwide. The explosives detection canine teams inspect passengers and all areas in and around terminals. They are so effective at their jobs that other public and private sector law enforcement agencies often request their support for similar security missions.

Each canine and their handler serve as a reliable resource for detecting explosives as well as providing a visible deterrent to terrorism directed towards various types of transportation nodes. Once on duty, these canines work to safeguard passengers and cargo across the nation's transportation systems.