Apollo the Southwest Airlines Safety Dog Retires After 7 Years of Service with Cute Tennis Ball Surprise: Watch
ApolloCredit: Southwest Airlines/TikTok
A safety dog named Apollo was honored by the Dallas Police Department after supporting Southwest Airlines safety operations for seven years
Staffers celebrated his final suitcase search by tossing dozens of tennis balls for the retiring pooch in a sweet clip posted by the airline on Thursday, Oct. 15
The video compilation showed Apollo eagerly collecting tennis balls and running through a plane walkway with one in his mouth
Apollo the safety dog is retiring in style!
The Dallas Police Department threw a party for the Southwest Airlines pooch that included a balloon arch and photos of Apollo working to keep passengers safe through his seven years of service, according to a Facebook video posted by the airline on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Apollo, a German Shorthaired Pointer, was filmed sniffing out a suitcase to mark his final find. As soon as he sat down to indicate a successful search, the crowd cheered and threw dozens of tennis balls for him to play with.
Apollo at his retirement partyCredit: Southwest Airlines/TikTok
Apollo appeared excited as he rushed to catch as many balls as he could, as the crowd filmed the emotional moment.
Another clip showed Apollo excitedly running down the plane’s walkway with a tennis ball in his mouth.
“After seven years supporting safety operations at Southwest… Apollo made his final find 🎾🎾🎾. Happy retirement, Apollo! 🐾 🐶,” the video said.
“Apollo is officially off the clock and enjoying some pawesome retirement benefits! 🎾🐶,” Southwest Airlines captioned the video.
ApolloCredit: Southwest Airlines/TikTok
“Congrats Apollo enjoy your retirement buddy, chase all the squirrels you can find,” one commenter posted, while another said, “why am I tearing up??!! 😭.”
“So many balls he doesn’t know which one to choose 🥹Happy retirement Apollo ❤️,” a third added.
Apollo worked as a TSA-trained explosive detection canine, who are “highly trained experts at detecting explosives and provide a visible deterrent to terrorism targeted at transportation,” per the TSA’s website.
Dogs who detect traditional explosives usually undergo an 11-week training course; but canines who screen passengers complete 16 weeks of training.
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Canine teams graduate from the TSA’s training center after they can detect threats in multiple transportation environments, including airports, buses, cargo and baggage, the TSA website adds.
Around 300 pups successfully complete the training every year and usually consist of five breeds: German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, German shorthaired pointers, German wirehaired pointers and Belgian Malinois.
Source: Nature