Meet the 13 charming airport dogs featured at TSA’s 2025 Canine Calendar.
As the new year draws close, we’re not just waiting to start afresh. We’re also looking for some “paw-sitivity,” and thankfully, we found it! Time to get to know and be inspired by 13 extraordinary dogs featured in the 2025 Canine Calendar of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The agency’s annual tradition of calendar release honors over 1,000 working dogs serving airports across the US.
The 2025 Canine Calendar features cute photos and fun facts about 13 featured dogs, chosen from 80 entries submitted by TSA teams nationwide. This year’s lineup include the following canine heroes:
- Beny, a German Shorthaired Pointer from Boston Logan International Airport
- Birdie, a Labrador Retriever/Vizsla mix from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
- Carlo, a Vizsla from Kansas City International Airport
- Dodo, a German Wirehaired Pointer from Portland International Airport
- Smokie, a Sable German Shepherd from Dallas Love Field Airport
- Bely, a German Shorthaired Pointer from Charleston International Airport in South Carolina
- Argo, a Labrador Retriever from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
- Barni, a German Shorthaired Pointer from San Francisco International Airport
- Hary, a German Shepherd from Richmond International Airport
- Arina, a German Shepherd from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Kipper, a Springer Spaniel from San Diego International AirportÂ
- Badger, a Belgian Malinois from Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Bruno, a Labrador Retriever from Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
Cutest Canine Contest Winner
The 2025 TSA Canine Calendar features Barni, the winner of TSA’s Cutest Canine Contest this year. After a week of voting on social media, the 5-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer won the hearts of public. Barni is a passenger screening K-9 at San Francisco International Airport. Along with his handler Michelle Cogle, Barni helps in adding a layer of security at the airport, providing explosives detection capabilities.
Cogle shared that outside of work, Barni is such a goofball. He’s obsessed with chasing squirrels and loves to play fetch. Barni will be gracing the cover of TSA’s Canine Calendar for 2025. Another stand-out working dog in the calendar is Bruno, who is now retired but was considered a true pup-star. The Labrador Retriever has supported a lot of major events, including Formula 1, Super Bowls, Indianapolis 500, and MLB All-Star Games.
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Key Assets for Airport Security
Canines themselves act as an important layer of security in some of the countries biggest airports. They work together with their handlers to detect explosives and other related materials within the busy transportation environment. Every year, the TSA trains around 300 new canines for 16 weeks, teaching them the art of detecting different odors of explosives and how to socialize and adapt to changing environments.
Once they start reporting for duty, these working dogs are mainly tasked to sniff the air for any explosive threat surrounding the travelers and their belongings. In doing so, the well-trained pups help in detecting anyone who might be carrying explosives. Meanwhile, the canine handlers are trained to notice changes in the dog’s behavior when they sense a threat.
Aside from detecting odors of explosives, dogs can also recognize a wide range of other scents (as long as they’re trained for it). Some of them can learn to detect firearms by looking for the scent of gunpowder. There are also drug sniffing dogs who can search hundreds of bags quickly to tip off potential suspects. The remarkable event wherein a German Shepherd found an explosive in a passenger’s luggage at JFK Airport in 1974 underscores just how important canines are in ensuring a safe flying experience for all.
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From The Club
The TSA 2025 Canine Calendar is a great reminder of how committed our furry friends are when it comes to transportation security. But honestly, it would also make a no-cost gift to your friends with dog-loving hearts. Just forward the link where they can find the PDF version of the canine calendar, and I’m sure the doggos—their photos, hobbies, and achievements—would spread good cheer and make your loved ones smile a little brighter.
