TSA moving to all floppy-ear airport dog force because pointy-ear dogs ‘scare children’

[mystery-ak]

TSA moving to all floppy-ear airport dog force because pointy-ear dogs ‘scare children’
by Anna Giaritelli
 | December 24, 2018 12:01 AM

The Transportation Security Administration is in the process of swapping out pointy ear dogs for floppy ear ones in an effort to put more of the public at ease when interacting with its canines.

"We’ve made a conscious effort in TSA ... to use floppy ear dogs," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said during a recent tour of operations at Washington Dulles International Airport northern Virginia.

"We find the passenger acceptance of floppy ear dogs is just better. It presents just a little bit less of a concern," Pekoske said. "Doesn’t scare children."

Around 80 percent of the 1,200 canines TSA uses nationwide are ones with droopy ears versus the 20 percent that have cone-shaped ones.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/tsa-moving-to-all-floppy-ear-airport-dog-force-because-pointy-ear-dogs-scare-children

[Elderberry]

They scare me too.

[mountaineer]

I would have sworn this article was from the Onion. 

[Polly Ticks]

Children who are afraid of dogs are afraid of dogs with ears of any shape.  They are afraid of the teeth, not the ears.

[Wingnut]

They scare me too.

Think outside the bun.

[Elderberry]

I think some children are taught to be afraid of dogs.  I would walk my yellow lab Toby in the morning before work. Kids would be at their bus stops thru the neighborhood. As I walked up to a group of them, most kids when they turned and saw Toby would want to pet him. Others, when they say Toby so close to them would break down into instant fear. I've always wondered what ingrained that into these children?

[LottieDah]

My Westie is a beast.  Children want to play with him because he is small and cute but he isn't having it.  He nips at their hands. He's got a reputation in the neighborhood as the dog that does not like children.  Poor handsome beast.

[GtHawk]

It's not the dogs, it's the TSA agents they fear.

[ConstitutionRose]

I think some children are taught to be afraid of dogs.  I would walk my yellow lab Toby in the morning before work. Kids would be at their bus stops thru the neighborhood. As I walked up to a group of them, most kids when they turned and saw Toby would want to pet him. Others, when they say Toby so close to them would break down into instant fear. I've always wondered what ingrained that into these children?

Exactly.  My Great Pyrenees is large for the breed.  150 lbs, 33" at the withers.  A large fluffy, flop eared beast.  Some kids just run up to him and throw their arms around him.  Some are terrified of him.  I always feel sorry for kids who have been taught to fear dogs.

A dog bit my son as a toddler.  He still loves dogs.  The fear has to be taught in some fashion.

[Oceander]

Most little children who are afraid of dogs are that way because they had a bad experience with a dog that was seared into their memory. And what counts as “bad” is not necessarily what an adult would think of as “bad” - it can be something as “simple” as a dog that was too friendly when the child was young and apprehensive or a dog that suddenly started barking loudly near them when they were apprehensive.  That will imprint quite readily on young children and many of them will remain afraid of dogs for a long time after that.

It’s not about adults teaching them to be afraid of dogs.

[jmyrlefuller]

A dog bit my son as a toddler.  He still loves dogs.  The fear has to be taught in some fashion.

I too was bit as a toddler, on the face. I was terrified of dogs for my entire childhood. Not every child reacts to trauma in the same way.

It doesn't help that, for some odd reason (maybe I put off some weird pheromone or something), dogs seem to get aggressive around me for no reason. I'll be walking down the street and someone'll be walking their dog, and that dog will just go nuts trying to bark and gnash at me.

[ConstitutionRose]

I too was bit as a toddler, on the face. I was terrified of dogs for my entire childhood. Not every child reacts to trauma in the same way.

It doesn't help that, for some odd reason (maybe I put off some weird pheromone or something), dogs seem to get aggressive around me for no reason. I'll be walking down the street and someone'll be walking their dog, and that dog will just go nuts trying to bark and gnash at me.

We spent some time educating my son about dogs after the bite.  He had reached into the dog's food bowl.  I think understanding dogs helps.  He and the dog who bit him became buddies.

I know that dogs react differently to individuals.  I do think dogs can sense something people cannot.  Maybe your discomfort is something they sense. 

[Smokin Joe]

I too was bit as a toddler, on the face. I was terrified of dogs for my entire childhood. Not every child reacts to trauma in the same way.

It doesn't help that, for some odd reason (maybe I put off some weird pheromone or something), dogs seem to get aggressive around me for no reason. I'll be walking down the street and someone'll be walking their dog, and that dog will just go nuts trying to bark and gnash at me.

Do you or have you ever worked for the Postal Service?

It doesn't matter who, what color they are, male or female, there is something about a letter carrier that gets my dog fired up. He even has his own special set of growls that tells me the postal employee is near.

[Smokin Joe]

We spent some time educating my son about dogs after the bite.  He had reached into the dog's food bowl.  I think understanding dogs helps.  He and the dog who bit him became buddies.

I know that dogs react differently to individuals.  I do think dogs can sense something people cannot.  Maybe your discomfort is something they sense.

Ours growled at my great grandson (a toddler at the time) until my great grandson started sharing his food with him and made friends--something he did on his own. Now they get along great.

Understanding dogs is key, and understanding their body language is important to not getting too close to one which is hostile.