AviationGeeks.com - Eager beagles

My luggage was delayed, ostensibly by a stuck door on a truck that was to have ferried it from the plane to the arrivals hall. What would have been a tiresome 30 minutes turned into a fascinating lesson in incentives in action. The beagle, a wise seven-year-old with a long nose, had the job of sniffing out contraband for his handler, a customs official, as the two roamed the luggage-collection area. The beagle would sit next to a suspicious-smelling bag, wag his tail, look excited and then look to his handler for praise. She would mark the bag for inspection by officials at the exit, give him a treat from a bag on her belt, and then move on.

Read More...