One of the country’s first lines of defense against foreign agricultural pests and diseases is just about as adorable as they are effective. The US “Beagle Brigade” utilize their incredibly acute sense of smell to uncover threats that not even the most sensitive scientific equipment can detect. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses its highly-trained Beagles in airports and other ports of entry into the country to detect unauthorized meat, animal byproducts, fruits and vegetables, and other products that could disrupt the US food system.
The US Beagle Brigade was launched by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in 1984 at the Los Angeles International Airport with a single beagle trained to detect plants and animal products. The breed was chosen not only because of its incredibly powerful sniffer, but it is also extremely friendly. Known for their “merry” demeanor, Beagles come across as less threatening than standard police dog breeds like German shepherds. Because of their small size and calm nature, Beagles are also generally a good fit in bustling airports filled with large crowds of people.
Dogs in general are superior at detecting smells thanks to the hundreds of millions of scent-detecting cells in their nasal cavities, as compared to humans who only have 5 million. In addition, dogs are able to detect a single scent among complexes of many, overlapping scents. Originally, beagles were bred primarily for hunting hares and rabbits, which is actually known as “beagling.” It was traditionally a way for young men and women to learn how to handle hounds on a smaller scale before going on to hunt with foxhounds.
Most of the dogs in the Beagle Brigade are rescued from animal shelters, though some are donated. Once chosen, they are put through a rigorous 13-week training program at the National Detector Dog Training Center (NDDTC) in Newnan, Georgia, where the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program teaches them to sniff out fruits, vegetables, and certain meat products.
Beagles have the ability to categorize smells. Meaning they can distinguish between smells emanating from restricted items (such as fruit, vegetables, and meat) and non-restricted items. They can also distinguish between a real product, such as a lemon, and something that is just lemon-scented. When a member of the Beagle Brigade smells a restricted scent, it sits down next to the luggage to alert its handler, who then talks to the owner, and, if necessary, performs a search. Experienced beagles have a 90% success rate, and can recognize almost 50 distinct smells.
The Beagle Brigade does use other breeds in less visible areas such as cargo holds. Labrador Retrievers are apparently superior at detecting an invasive rodent species known as nutria, as well as the coconut rhinoceros beetle, while Russell Terriers are especially adept at sniffing out stowaway snakes on ships and aircraft.
The detector dogs in the Beagle Brigade typically put in an eight-hour workday along with their handlers. The teams typically spend about 45 minutes of every hour making their rounds and inspecting flights. Detector dogs find everything from illegal bush meats to exotic plants and soil and even exotic birds that people try to smuggle into the country. According to the USDA, the Beagle Brigade program averages around 75,000 seizures of prohibited agricultural products a year. In the first nine months of the 2022 fiscal year, the Brigade confiscated more than 96,000 items! Right now, the USDA is prioritizing the detection of African swine fever which could be transmitted through cured pork products.
Legislation to permanently authorize the National Detector Dog Training Center is working its way through Congress right now. Known as the Beagle Brigade Act of 2022, it has support from over 50 agriculture-related groups, including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). There are currently more than 116 agricultural canine teams working to screen materials entering the U.S. at border crossings, airports, cargo warehouses, cruise terminals, and mail facilities. (Sources: New York Times, AgNet, AKC)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Detector Dog Training Center (NDDTC) demonstrate the detector dog training in Newman, Georgia on April 4, 2019. The center is designed and equipped to train detector dog teams (canines and handlers) to safeguard American agriculture. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine program and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) use detector dog teams, known as the Beagle Brigade, to search for prohibited agricultural products at major U.S. ports of entry (airports and land border crossings), mail and cargo facilities. The teams detect prohibited agricultural products that can carry foreign pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and forests. For decades, the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program has been training canines to sniff out fruits, vegetables, and certain meat products. They have detected prohibited or restricted agricultural imports with impressive effectiveness. In 2016 alone, PPQ experts trained 67 dogs and 91 canine handlers for use by PPQ, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, State departments of agriculture, county agricultural commissioner’s offices, and foreign agriculture ministries. PPQ’s National Detector Dog Training Center started in 1984 with just one dog and one trainer. Today, the Center is located in Newnan, GA, on 17 acres with 8 buildings and 100 kennels. The Center provides standard training on inspecting passenger baggage, cargo, mail, and parcels for prohibited or restricted agricultural items. On average, dogs have hundreds of millions of scent-detecting cells in their nasal cavities, as compared to humans who only have 5 million. In addition, dogs are able to detect a single scent among complexes of many, overlapping scents. Related USAF story and photos of USDA handler and dog detecting brown tree snakes at an airbase in Guam. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/587659/usda-dogs-sniff-out-snakes/ USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Detector Dog Training Center (NDDTC) demonstrate the detector dog training in Newman, Georgia on April 4, 2019. The center is designed and equipped to train detector dog teams (canines and handlers) to safeguard American agriculture. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine program and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) use detector dog teams, known as the Beagle Brigade, to search for prohibited agricultural products at major U.S. ports of entry (airports and land border crossings), mail and cargo facilities. The teams detect prohibited agricultural products that can carry foreign pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and forests. For decades, the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program has been training canines to sniff out fruits, vegetables, and certain meat products. They have detected prohibited or restricted agricultural imports with impressive effectiveness. In 2016 alone, PPQ experts trained 67 dogs and 91 canine handlers for use by PPQ, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, State departments of agriculture, county agricultural commissioner’s offices, and foreign agriculture ministries. PPQ’s National Detector Dog Training Center started in 1984 with just one dog and one trainer. Today, the Center is located in Newnan, GA, on 17 acres with 8 buildings and 100 kennels. The Center provides standard training on inspecting passenger baggage, cargo, mail, and parcels for prohibited or restricted agricultural items. On average, dogs have hundreds of millions of scent-detecting cells in their nasal cavities, as compared to humans who only have 5 million. In addition, dogs are able to detect a single scent among complexes of many, overlapping scents. Related USAF story and photos of USDA handler and dog detecting brown tree snakes at an airbase in Guam. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/587659/usda-dogs-sniff-out-snakes/ USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
