TSA’s Oldest Working Dog Is Retiring From The Force
Eebbers the bomb-sniffing dog is finally retiring after 10 long years of service.
According to NPR, Eebbers was born into TSA’s Puppy Program.
As part of the program, Eebbers and his handler, Jean Carney, went through weeks of vigorous training and eventually passed and were allowed to move on to the field of airport security and bomb detection.
While most of TSA’s service dogs work until 7 or 8 years of age according to NPR, Eebbers kept working for an entire decade!
The visla-lab mix continued to pass inspections and do his job well, and he and his handler spent years dedicated to their careers and keeping people safe.
“He was born to do this. His ability to search out his trained odors amazes me every day,” Carney said, according to the Denver Channel.
But everyone must retire at some point, and 10 years is a long time in a dog’s life when his estimated lifespan is only 12 years.
Before retiring, Eebbers managed to win TSA’s cutest K9 contest, as the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport shared on Twitter:
Put your paws together for @mspairport's Eebbers – winner of the @TSA's 2022 Cutest K9 Contest!
Eebbers was born into TSA’s Puppy Program and is the last remaining canine from the Puppy Program still working daily for TSA.
Congratulations on your win, Eebers! #NationalDogDay pic.twitter.com/9iwwKG4MAD
— MSP Airport (@mspairport) August 26, 2022
Less than a month later, the airport announced that Eebbers and Carney were officially set to retire.
On their last day at work, TSA threw them a retirement party complete with cake and presents.
Lets give a warm round of ap-paws to both Eebbers and his handler, Jean Carney, as they celebrate their retirement!
Thank you both for a tremendous career spent protecting passengers at @mspairport and other high-profile events nationwide! pic.twitter.com/zgh1NRoxkh
— MSP Airport (@mspairport) September 2, 2022
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport couldn’t have asked for a better K9-handler duo to serve them.
Other airports and TSA locations even got in on celebrating their retirement, with the TSA in Salt Lake City, Utah, tweeting about their retirement. They wrote: “Happy retirement day, Eebbers & Jeannie! TSA’s 2022 Cutest Canine & his handler had a great sendoff at @mspairport today.
Happy retirement day, Eebbers & Jeannie! TSA’s 2022 Cutest Canine & his handler had a great sendoff at @mspairport today. 🐶🦴 pic.twitter.com/nZMAoNmzVu
— TSA_GreatLakes (@TSA_GreatLakes) August 31, 2022
Carney is excited for the next chapter in their lives. According to the Denver Channel, she said: “I was just ready for him to be a dog. I just wanted him to enjoy the last few years just being a dog.”
Their first planned retirement outing? Taking a swim in Iowa’s Lake Okoboji. How fun!
Happy retirement, Eebbers!
