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CIA dog dropped after turning her nose up at training

A sniffer dog in training at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the US has been asked to le...
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15.07 19 Oct 2017


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CIA dog dropped after turning...

CIA dog dropped after turning her nose up at training

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.07 19 Oct 2017


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A sniffer dog in training at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the US has been asked to leave her class.

Lulu has been dropped from the program after she did not show interest in detecting explosive odours.

The CIA says: "All dogs, just like most human students, have good days and bad days when learning something new.

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"The same is true during our puppy classes.

"A pup might begin acting lazy, guessing where the odours are, or just showing a general disregard for whatever is being taught at the moment.

"Usually it lasts for a day, maybe two."

Sniffer dog Lulu in training | Image: CIA

But it says that for Lulu, it was clear the issue is not temporary.

"This just isn't the job they are meant for. Lulu was no longer interested in searching for explosives.

"Even when they could motivate her with food and play to search, she was clearly not enjoying herself any longer."

It says trainers’ top concern is the physical and mental well-being of the dogs, so they made the "extremely difficult decision" to do what’s best for Lulu and drop her from the program.

When a dog is dropped or retires from the CIA program, the handler or handler’s family is given the chance to adopt them.

The CIA says Lulu was a adopted by her handler, and she is enjoying playing with his children, sniffing out rabbits and squirrels and eating meals and snacks out of a dog dish.

"We'll miss Lulu, but this was the right decision for her. We wish her all the best in her new life", the CIA adds.


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