TAPD’s Eci, the now retired explosives detection canine who worked with Officer Dina Bigham, is pictured in the free downloadable TSA 2024 Monthly Calendar. The calendar features TSA’s explosives detection canines from across the country.  Eci, the 8-year-old Dutch Shepherd, was trained at the National TSA Canine Training Center in San Antonio, Texas, and worked for the TAPD until her retirement.

Eci enjoyed working on Metro’s light rail system and riding the train as well as patrolling the Buffalo Airport. She especially loved an occasional “pup cup” after a hard day at work. Her favorite toy remains a red KONG. Earlier this year, Dina and Eci assisted with security in Phoenix during Super Bowl week. They also assisted with Super Bowl LIV in Miami in 2020.

“It has been an honor to continue to serve and to do so alongside Eci,” said Dina, who adopted Eci after she retired.

The TSA trains each of its explosives detection canines at the National TSA Canine Training Center, located at Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland in San Antonio, Texas. Considered the “Center for Excellence” for explosives detection canine training, the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program is the Department of Homeland Security’s largest explosives detection canine program.

About 300 canines complete the training annually and are assigned to TSA canine handlers or TSA’s partner law enforcement agencies, like NFTA Police. Each canine recruit spends 16 weeks in training, where they meet their handlers, socialize to adapt to busy airport environments and learn their craft of detecting a variety of explosive odors before reporting to their duty stations.

Each canine and its handler serve as a reliable resource for detecting explosives and providing a visible deterrent to terrorism directed toward various types of transportation nodes. Once on duty, these canines safeguard passengers and cargo across the nation’s transportation systems, including on buses, rail systems, and in airports.

This year’s calendar features fun facts and photos of a few of TSA’s dedicated canines selected from dozens of entries submitted by canine teams across the agency to help TSA celebrate National Dog Day in August.