Practical Travel Safety Issues - Dog kibble in my shoes?

I brought my golf clubs with me to the East Coast, with my shoes in the side pocket of the travel bag. When I opened the travel bag today, there was the standard TSA "I checked this bag..." card, which I didn't think anything of.

Until I pulled out my shoes. Which each had a dozen or so 1" long dog-bone shaped dog kibble or treats or something in them. I thought maybe a rodent had stored them in the shoes over the winter, but I checked the shoes before I put them in the bag, and they had no passengers. No other sign of animal, like urine or feces. We have a dog, but my daughter saw the picture I sent her of them and said she'd never had anything like that for it.

So my question in a nutshell is...W.T.F.? :confused::confused:

First hole might be a "dog leg"

There is a TSA doggy that's very upset that you have its snacks !


Ok most likely scenario is that TSA put them in your shoes as part of a dog training exercise but somehow forgot to collect them before your bag got loaded onto the plane.

write delta and ask for skymiles.

There is a TSA doggy that's very upset that you have its snacks !


Ok most likely scenario is that TSA put them in your shoes as part of a dog training exercise but somehow forgot to collect them before your bag got loaded onto the plane.

Actually, that does make some sense. I have asked a TSA supervisor friend of mine if it's a potentially accurate one.

Please continue this discussion in the TS/S Forum.
Thanks...
Obscure2k
Delta Moderator

There is a TSA doggy that's very upset that you have its snacks !


Ok most likely scenario is that TSA put them in your shoes as part of a dog training exercise but somehow forgot to collect them before your bag got loaded onto the plane.

I would suspect that it was a CBP dog test for food items. TSA may have given them access for the insertion during the normal inspection, and they forgot to remove the items. It would not even have to be an international flight if it was just to test the dog.

I would suspect that it was a CBP dog test for food items. TSA may have given them access for the insertion during the normal inspection, and they forgot to remove the items. It would not even have to be an international flight if it was just to test the dog.

Are the dogs supposed to alert on dog food, or maybe exactly NOT supposed the alert? There could be a failed dog out there that no one knows about, because the bait went golfing...

DanishFlyer

Are the dogs supposed to alert on dog food, or maybe exactly NOT supposed the alert? There could be a failed dog out there that no one knows about, because the bait went golfing...

DanishFlyer

Actually a successful dog—if it didn't alert, thus the treats were lost to the forgetful human trainers. :D

Dog treats in my experience generally smell slightly to awfully bad (to humans), and may leave oily stains. I would not be happy if an expensive pair of shoes that were clean when I packed them were stained or odorous at destination due to their being used in any way without my permission.

Were the golf shoes damaged?

Do they train drug sniffing dogs with just the smell of drugs on an item or do they use actual liquified drug drops on items? If it's the latter, can you imagine if your shoes tested positive somewhere along the line after they treated them for the dogs? You could have been driving home from the airport, gotten pulled over, refused to let the officer check your car so he calls in the dogs and uh-oh. The drops could have dripped all over the inside of your shoes, you bring them on your next trip and your shoes alert the dogs. uh-oh #2.

Far fetched, but who knows.

Got an answer from my TSA friend. Here is an excerpt:

What (the baggage TSA people) told me was what most likely happened was that your bag was on the table being cleared, to do this they take your shoes out and place them on the table. On the table next to yours was a bag that had a bag of kibble in it and the bag got knocked over and some of the kibble landed in your shoes. They also told me that it was definitly not put in there to test the dogs.

I trust and believe him, but I'm not totally sure I believe them. Thoughts?

Got an answer from my TSA friend. Here is an excerpt:

What (the baggage TSA people) told me was what most likely happened was that your bag was on the table being cleared, to do this they take your shoes out and place them on the table. On the table next to yours was a bag that had a bag of kibble in it and the bag got knocked over and some of the kibble landed in your shoes. They also told me that it was definitly not put in there to test the dogs.

I trust and believe him, but I'm not totally sure I believe them. Thoughts?

What was a bag of kibble doing in the search area? Ready to feed a K9 being specially trained to eat homework? :rolleyes:

People traveling with dogs might legitimately have kibble in their luggage, but this story seems far-fetched to me. I favor DanishFlyer's theory that it was a mislaid part of a training exercise, wherein the dog will certainly know it's there and might be tempted by it, but should NOT alert.

svenskaflicka and anyone else interested, this very long story (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/31/drug-search-trekies-stopped-searched-illinois_n_1364087.html?ref=mostpopular) contains many interesting links about search dog training and concerns. Scent drops are used for some types of search training, like cadaver dogs, but actual confiscated drugs/currency are the usual bait for drug dogs. Any LE agency with a need for drug dogs has access to more contraband than they'd ever need.

No, the shoes are old and not damaged to any visible degree. And the kibble didn't have a strong odor - just basically dry dog food.

My friend 's explanation makes no sense, though. How did equal amounts of the stuff get in both shoes and not any anywhere else, like the laces or something? I think the TSA is thinking they are smarter than they are, which wouldn't be the first time.

What was a bag of kibble doing in the search area? Ready to feed a K9 being specially trained to eat homework? :rolleyes:

People traveling with dogs might legitimately have kibble in their luggage, but this story seems far-fetched to me. I favor DanishFlyer's theory that it was a mislaid part of a training exercise, wherein the dog will certainly know it's there and might be tempted by it, but should NOT alert.

svenskaflicka and anyone else interested, this very long story (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/31/drug-search-trekies-stopped-searched-illinois_n_1364087.html?ref=mostpopular) contains many interesting links about search dog training and concerns. Scent drops are used for some types of search training, like cadaver dogs, but actual confiscated drugs/currency are the usual bait for drug dogs. Any LE agency with a need for drug dogs has access to more contraband than they'd ever need.

Wow, that is one scary article. I wasn't too far off the mark.

Talked to a 3 stripe st SEA this morning who confirmed that they don't do that as any part of a training exercise. This mystery may go unsolved.

Talked to a 3 stripe st SEA this morning who confirmed that they don't do that as any part of a training exercise. This mystery may go unsolved.

I am convinced as we know they have knowledge of the procedures and always tell the truth.

I am convinced as we know they have knowledge of the procedures and always tell the truth.

He didn't give off the air of someone who was hiding anything. I was very open and friendly to him, and he responded in kind, even telling me what they DO with bags like mine. He seemed to honestly not have any information that could help me.

Oh, well.

People traveling with dogs might legitimately have kibble in their luggage, but this story seems far-fetched to me. I favor DanishFlyer's theory that it was a mislaid part of a training exercise, wherein the dog will certainly know it's there and might be tempted by it, but should NOT alert.

+1

Too many 'ifs'. His shoes are taken out and set next to another bag being searched. (That in itself demonstrates sloppy technique - having the contents of two bags, either of which might be tested for explosives, that close together - not to mention the risk that pax belongings might get co-mingled). That bag, coincidentally, has an already open and unsecured bag of kibble in it (or a bag of kibble freshly just opened by the examining TSO - why?) that gets set next to the shoes and bumped in just the right way so that kibble lands in the shoes.

Sorry, that's way too many 'ifs' for me. Probability = 0.