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Saturday, April 19, 2025

TSA K9 Retires After 5 Years of Keeping Travelers Safe

According to a recent LinkedIn post from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), K9 Pawfficer Donald has retired after five years of dedicated service at Portland International Airport (PDX).

At 6½ years old and 90 pounds, Donald has spent much of his life as a professional protector, responsible for ensuring the safety of anyone passing through PDX by smelling for explosives.

TSA’s K9 units play a critical role in national security. Trained at the TSA Canine Training Center in San Antonio, Texas, these elite teams specialize in explosives detection across transportation sectors—aviation, cargo, maritime, and mass transit. Their training involves identifying a wide range of explosive odors, navigating complex environments, and working alongside handlers to ensure safety for the traveling public.

TSA canine teams are not only trained to detect emerging threats, but also serve as a visible deterrent to terrorism. With more than 1,000 teams deployed nationwide, these canines collectively log hundreds of thousands of hours protecting our nation’s transportation infrastructure each year.

Erin Caine
Erin Caine
Erin Caine is a recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington where she earned a B.A. in Communication and Digital Studies with a minor in Business Administration. She graduated summa cum laude with both University and Departmental Honors. Through her coursework in communication campaigns, news journalism, social media, and digital marketing, Erin has experience creating impactful content and campaigns designed to raise awareness for an organization. She brings strong skills in writing, interpersonal communication, web design, digital editing, and video production. She completed a major project with the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, a non-profit near her campus. During this project, she worked closely with the organization to understand its most urgent needs and used these insights to develop a brief, targeted social media campaign. She produced a campaign plan that included social media graphics, compelling copy, and an original promotional video that the organization could use to encourage youth volunteering. As a student, she worked at UMW’s University Center for three years and was a supervisor during her final year. She gained valuable experience coordinating event logistics, providing customer service, and distributing tasks amongst a team. She also brings significant leadership experience through her extensive involvement on campus.

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