TSA explosives detection K-9 ‘Rex’ retires at Milwaukee airport

MILWAUKEE (WSAW) - Rex, a six-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, had his last run as a Transportation Security Administration passenger screening K-9 at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Thursday. He’s now ready to trade in his working vest for afternoons lounging on the sofa.

After his last morning of sniffing for any traces of explosives at MKE on Thursday, Rex was joined by several of the canine handlers, TSA staff, and invited guests to celebrate his retirement. After Rex alerted on a scent on a decoy passenger, he was showered with tennis balls tossed his way by his friends and party guests.

Rex’s handler, Regina Eisenberg, then removed Rex’s “Do Not Pet” patch from his harness, thus officially signaling that the dog was no longer a working canine and could be petted.

Rex and Eisenberg have been paired for five years, and they were the first canine/handler team brought in to start Wisconsin’s TSA passenger screening canine program last year. Eisenberg, who will now work as a canine program supervisor out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), will continue to care for Rex for the rest of his life.

TSA trains each of its explosives 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 as the home of the U.S. military’s training for Military Working Dogs, 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 serves as a reliable resource for detecting explosives and providing a visible deterrent to terrorism directed toward various transportation methods. Once on duty, these canines safeguard passengers and cargo across the nation’s transportation systems.

In retirement, Rex is looking forward to snoozing on the couch, visiting the beach for the first time, and enjoying his favorite squeaky toys.