SEATTLE – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday celebrated the career and retirements of Bela, an explosive detection canine who has worked as a Passenger Screening Canine since 2014. Bela is TSA’s longest serving PSC at Sea-Tac Airport.
During her tenure with TSA, Bela and her handler Tim have screened thousands of travelers and their belongings departing Sea-Tac Airport, sniffing out potential threats to aviation security. TSA estimates that they have worked more than 1,050 hours in the security checkpoint. This is in addition to the hundreds of hours they have trained together to maintain Bela’s certification and keep her explosive detection capabilities sharp.
Bela, a black lab, began working at Sea-Tac Airport on April 1, 2014, coinciding with the launch of the PSC program here. She also supported security operations during Super Bowl LI in Houston in 2017.
With her working dog days behind her, Bela, who turned eight years old in November 2018, will live with Tim and transition to being just a regular dog with a very special skill. Tim will be assigned a new PSC and continue to work at Sea-Tac Airport.
Bela is one of more than 400 PSCs working at airports across the country. She has spent her days capably navigating among large groups of people, adding a layer of security to TSA’s operations. Explosive detection canines are an effective tool in deterring and detecting the introduction of explosive devices into the nation’s transportation systems.