TSA Explosive Detection Pup Gets the Perfect Surprise Retirement Party
It was a big day for all as TSA canine Messi sniffed his last bag before retiring! ABC News shared a video of the celebration on Saturday, April 20th that kicked off after Messi sniffed out a bag and signaled to his handler that it needed to be checked. He was then surprised with a shower of tennis balls tossed to him by other handlers. He wasn't sure what to think but wasted no time grabbing a ball!
Messi is an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever who was a TSA explosives detection canine for many years. He celebrated his retirement at Virginia's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Messi's handler joined in and removed Messi's "Do Not Pet" patch, marking Messi's last day of work as an officer. Messi enjoyed tennis balls, a bubble machine, and even got to put on a party hat before getting his own pup-cake.
It looks like Messi and his handler Peter had fun celebrating his last day of bomb sniffing! A TSA press release said that after work Messi's favorite thing to do is run and catch tennis balls, so throwing all of those balls to him was one of the best presents he could've gotten on his big day.
ABC News commenters got a kick out of Messi's confused reaction when other handlers threw tennis balls after he sat next to the bag he sniffed out. @Ilan laughed, "He was so confused like I THOUGHT WE WERE AT WORK!!!" @Katia got more than 13 thousand likes when she pointed out, "He’s like IDK what’s going on, but I love it!!"
Related: The TSA Releases Their Adorable Calendar Featuring Airport Service Dogs
What's Next for Messi
Humans and their canine partners share an incredible bond. They literally depend on each other every single day, and sometimes find themselves in situations that are a matter of life or death. The trust and respect they have for each other is something that many people never find with another human.
When they aren't working the partners eat, play, and live together. Police dogs become part of the officer's family and part of the pack if the family has other pets. Messi's number one priority was and will continue to be protecting his master and the family, and he knows when it's work time or play time. I wonder how long it will take him to realize he doesn't have to work anymore. He was featured in TSA's service dog calendar, so maybe he could start a modeling career!
I wondered what Messi had planned now that he's retired. Police dogs usually work 5 to 10 years before retiring. Often, the dog will then become the officer's pet, although some departments don't allow that. Luckily for Messi, according to the press release, Peter is adopting him so the two will continue to stay together! Peter is also switching gears and has decided to hang up the leash as a canine handler to become a canine trainer.
It was fun to watch Messi celebrate and enjoy his pup-cake. I hope the rest of his years are spent running and playing and getting lots of pets! Congrats on your retirement, Messi!
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