G OOD D OG
Protect and Serve
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LYRIC
DORA
LUCCA
Lyric, an energetic 3-yearold rescue dog, works as a Beagle Brigade detector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. She’s based at the international airport near San Juan, Puerto Rico, sniffing carryon baggage heading to the mainland. She’s trained to find prohibited items such as mangoes, guavas, apples, citrus fruits and sweet potatoes, which can carry invasive pests such as fruit flies. Lyric reliably tracks smells, sometimes from surprising distances. When she detects a target scent, she sits by the baggage, waiting for her treat.
Dora, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, works for the
Lucca, a German shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix, served in the Marine Corps for six years as a specialized search dog. Lucca’s career ended in 2012 when she was injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan and lost a front leg — but she kept her spirit, says handler Chris Willingham. Last year, she was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, the highest honor any military animal can receive. Now 13, Lucca enjoys retirement — which has included visiting wounded vets at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
PET GUIDE 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Canine Program in El Paso. She is trained to screen vehicles, freight, people and luggage entering the U.S. to potentially thwart illicit crimes, including terrorist activity, drug smuggling and human trafficking. Her average workday is eight hours, but a 16-hour day is not uncommon. Among the most challenging work, handler Felix Benejan says, is screening moving vehicles. Her biggest career find: 29 pounds of liquid methamphetamine in the gas tank of a moving car.
GETTY IMAGES; CRISTOBAL RIVERA AYALA; FELIX BENEJAN; CHRIS WILLINGHAM
These pooches not only provide a service to humans, they go above and beyond the call of duty to help protect their country.