Autobiography of a bomb dog

If a situation ever occurs at a school where a bomb sniffing dog is used to investigate, the event will be less alarming for children who know what the dog is doing and that the dog is a highly trained specialist whose job it is to keep them safe. Among its “Kid’s Pages” the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has an autobiography of a bomb dog. Letting children read this story is a way for them to gain understanding of the dogs’ skills and to be prepared to appreciate them when they see the dogs at work. The dog who tells his story is a real FTA bomb dog named Truman. He explains, for example:

I can smell tiny traces of explosives and ammunition residue from guns; I can smell thousands of times better than any human. This is really important, because my smelling ability will help protect the public. Sometimes people do bad things to try to hurt others. I can help stop that from happening, or, if it has already happened, I can find evidence to help law enforcement officers find out who did it so that the person can never do it again.

The picture above shows Truman and his partner Joe checking cans for traces of explosives. Truman’s full autobiography is here.