WORCESTER, Mass. - It was a busy Tuesday for bomb detection K9s.

Dogs from multiple Massachusetts police departments, the Transporation Security Administration (TSA), and Department of Homeland Security (DSA) took part in the Big Regional Sniff.

"Like hide and seek, right? We put something out and the dog we hope will find it," Richard Andrade, supervisor of K9 Operations for the DHS, said. "And it's in a training scenario."  

What You Need To Know

  • The Worcester Regional Airport hosted more than two dozen K9 teams for a real-world training session Tuesday

  • The session comes less than a month before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks

  • While training at the airport, the TSA says it allows K9s to be ready for any venue or transportation hub

K9s faced seven different obstacles, including checking under seats in the airport, and also went through the baggage department.

The training session also comes at an important time of the year.

"With the upcoming 20th anniversary of September 11, this is a good vector for them to stay on their 'A-game,'" Andrade said. "Some of these teams are singular teams, so it's nice to get them in a network of training."

The training allowed K9s the opportunity to experience real-world scenarios. While an important exercise for them, it's also a learning experience for the host venue, the Worcester Regional Airport.

"You know, safety and security is number one with Massport and Worcester Regional Airport," Airport Director Andy Davis said. "By being able to have events like this, we can do our observations, we can learn from them, and we can work with our law enforcement partners to continue to improve on it."​

"Keeping in mind that we protect the nation's transportation systems, that's what we're trying to do," Andrade said. "In this particular instance, we're in an airport terminal. But, we could be at a mass transit terminal. Anywhere. Anywhere we need to go."