Canines and counter-terrorism: A look inside the MTA's new Dog Training Facility

It's not uncommon to see dogs sniffing through bags at the train station or airport.  The use of canines in law enforcement has grown dramatically across the country in the 15 years since the 9/11 attacks.  Following 9/11, the MTA opened a dog training facility in Stormville in Dutchess County. The training center is a sprawling 72-acres and trains nearly 50 dogs.  The dogs are trained to detect explosives and even to help locate missing or fleeing persons, and the facility features Metro-North train cars and city buses to give the dogs a real-world experience.  
 
"For the dogs, it's all play," MTA police officer James Fin said. They're motivated and rewarded by toys and praise. The dogs get a chew toy when they identify explosives.  
 
The training is only a couple months old.  Prior to building this center, the MTA had trained its canine units in cabins on the same property. Sergeant Bill Finucane said they get dogs from all over the world, but not all of them are cut out for the job.  Sometimes they test 30 dogs and end up only using one of them.
The dogs are about a year old when they start their training.  They live with their human partners, and typically retire after eight or nine years in active duty.

 

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