Friday, August 4, 2017

"the demand for detection dogs that can sweep large areas for explosives has soared. So have prices, which can exceed $25,000 for a single dog"

NYT:
Security experts warn that the supply of these dogs is dwindling worldwide and that the United States is especially vulnerable because it relies primarily on brokers who source dogs from Eastern Europe.

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The T.S.A. has 1,000 dogs (German shorthaired pointers, German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labradors, golden retrievers and vizslas) in its work force and needs to acquire 350 new dogs annually to replace those that age out at around 8 to 10 years. To do that, T.S.A. agents make quarterly buying trips to Europe along with buyers for the United States military, which has around 1,600 dogs deployed worldwide.

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“The top dogs bred globally go to whoever has the most money, and that’s likely the Chinese and Saudis,”

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It’s why, Dr. Wilsson said, Sweden in 2005 reinstated its military dog-breeding program, which had been disbanded in the ’90s.