This beagle signals that a piece of luggage contains contraband at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, VA on March 14, 2001. The Beagle Brigade is a team of beagles and their human handlers who, as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspect luggage at U.S. airports searching for agricultural products. The Beagle Brigade program averages around 75,000 seizures of prohibited agricultural products a year. Unauthorized meat, animal byproducts, fruit and vegetables can carry diseases and pests that have the potential to infect U.S. agriculture. APHIS works in conjunction with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Public Health Service at entry points to the U.S., including land borders, ports and airports. The Beagle Brigade generally works in the baggage-claim area at international airports. After 911, the Beagle Brigade is under the authority of Homeland Security. USDA photo by Ken Hammond.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/41284017@N08">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>
Taken on 14 March 2001
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/7880830604/">20120106-OC-AMW-0729</a>