Future guide dogs had an opportunity to practice going through a TSA checkpoint at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to become familiar with the checkpoint screening process so they know what to expect when they come to catch a flight in the future.
Officers screened about two dozen puppies and their trainers from the Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s puppy raising regions of Baltimore, Bay, Catoctin, Delmarva and Montgomery, Maryland as they came through the checkpoint in an effort to acclimate the future guide dogs to an important piece of the airport experience.
TSA officials know that the checkpoint orientation session will result in a smoother checkpoint experience when the puppies ultimately graduate into certified guide dogs and return to take a flight. Not only did this exercise allow canines and their trainers to acclimate to the airport experience, but the orientation session also gave officers a good review on TSA’s procedures for screening service animals.
