Return to Pointer View home page August 19,  2005

West Point's own bomb sniffing dogs help keep academy safe 

Story and photo by Kathy Eastwood
Staff Writer   

In the aftermath of 9/11, the nation’s minds turned to developing the best way to ensure our safety. And man’s best friend is assisting in this effort.

“West Point has had explosive detection K-9’s here since Sept. 2003,” said Gerald Knapp from the Emergency Management Office here. “They are a valuable tool for us in force protection and emergency management and we have successfully used them several times to clear suspicious packages and items unintentionally left behind.”

West Point has two explosive sniffing teams, Knapp said. Jim Spratt and Harry, his black Labrador, have worked here from the beginning. Steve Osborne and his dog Jingles, a Golden Retriever, augment the other pair.

 “Additionally, the handlers all have police, emergency services or bomb squad experience, which gives the team the depth to detect and conduct a rapid and effective initial investigation, often resolving the incident before it escalates,” he added.

Lately, Osborne and the two-year-old Jingles have worked at the Visitors Center here.

“We generally use Labradors and Golden Retrievers because they are good with people, have a lot of energy, like to work and are calm in intense situations,” Osborne said.

Jingles was put through ‘basic’ training for three months and can sniff out most of the common explosives. So far, no machine has been invented that can detect explosives as well as a well-trained dog, he said.

“Humans have five million olfactory sensors whereas dogs have 200 million,” Osborne said.

Jingles has worked the gates of West Point, football games and graduation here as well as working at the Staten Island Ferry where he has a fan club, Osborne said.

When not working, Jingles stays with Osborne as is the case with most handlers.

“Explosive sniffers generally work for eight to ten years,” Osborne explained. “After retirement, if he and I are still together, he will retire to my sofa.”

Osborne said the cost of training a dog is approximately $12,000, so it is imperative they deal with reputable breeders.

“We need to make sure that the dog is unlikely to develop health problems, can be easily trained and that their temperament is easy going, so we are very particular about where we get our dogs,” he said.

Explosive sniffing dogs are generally not cross-trained to locate drugs because most drug sniffers are trained to be more aggressive and will tug and claw a piece of luggage or bag, which is dangerous with explosives.

“Our dogs are trained to use the passive response. When an explosive device is sensed, the dog will sit down and stare at the handler. Dogs can get an award of food or toys, but Jingles will wait for his ball,” Osborne explained.