Meet the dogs who just finished the ATF's canine training program. ATF dogs have supported major events like the Super Bowl and are also used in the bread-and-butter of ATF's work: solving gun crimes.
K-9 Maggie returns to her handler, Special Agent Lindsey Bates, during a demonstration of an explosives search following a graduation ceremony for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Canine Handlers and their dogs at the ATF training facility in Front Royal, Va., on June 21.
At a graduation ceremony held in the academy’s warehouse-like main hall, friends and family snapped photographs of Class 148, five black Labs and two yellow Labs, who collected their certificates and shiny new ATF badges.“Every team here has passed the highest standards and exceeded the expectations of the ATF canine program,” lead instructor Shawn Crawford told the crowd. “They’re ready to hit the streets, serve the public and protect their communities.
After the ceremony, as families snap photos with the dogs, Crawford said the canines are now trained to detect, in theory, 19,000 different explosive compounds.Special Agent Corey Wells introduces his K-9 Tara to his children, Owen Wells, 5, and Lucy Wells, 9, following a graduation ceremony for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent canine handlers and their dogs at the ATF training facility in Front Royal, Va., on Friday, June 21, 2024.
“She’ll stand here, tell Maggie to go out and check those bags,” Crawford said. “When she finds the explosive, she’s going to sit down, get really happy, and then she’ll run back and get a big handful of food.”K-9 Oakley watches as his handler, Special Agent Mariah Maye, receives her certificate during a graduation ceremony for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Canine Handlers and their dogs at the ATF training facility in Front Royal, Va.
This is how Maggie and the rest of the graduating dogs will eat for the rest of their careers. They don’t get a bowl of food. Instead, every day throughout the day, the handlers will put out shell casings or hide explosives at a training site, and only after detecting the explosive odor will the dog get its food reward, Crawford said.
ATF canines have supported major events across the U.S., including the Super Bowl, the State of the Union and presidential inaugurations. But they’re also used in the bread-and-butter of ATF’s work: solving gun crimes.
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