HEBRON, Ky. – One of the last places anyone wants to worry about any kind of suspicious activity is the airport. Luckily, airports have trained officers to prevent bad things from happening.

What You Need To Know

  • CVG employs two types of canines officers: narcotics dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs, which require a different type of training.

  •  Officer Nick Ruffing has been working with his K9 companion Brick for the last four years

  •  Brick and the other dogs have to train regularly to keep their certification

  • Brick has made quite a few busts over the years

The Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport employs some of the most energetic officers around with the strongest noses, too.

Typically, police officers don’t place drugs in an airport but the training scenarios Officer Nick Ruffing and his partner take part in require it. And he needs to keep Brick’s sense of smell strong.

“Brick really likes coming to work. All of the dogs at CVG get very excited to come here,” said CVG spokesperson Cassie Kiser.

And as Ruffing put it, “Him being at work is his fun time. He does have a lot of fun at home. I have some kids that he gets to play with from time to time. But his fun time is here. We bring him out, we train with him.”

Brick is a German shorthaired pointer who was born in Hungary, and trained up to be a narcotics detector. Ruffing has been working with his K9 companion for the last four years, and even takes him home at night.

“It's awesome. When I first got him, it was pretty tough. He’d jump out of the car and he would be gone. But the one thing he’d come back for is this ball. But throughout the years, he’ll be right by my side. If I let him loose he’ll come right back to me,” Ruffing said. “It can be frustrating at times, because he’s so energetic. But it’s a good time.”

CVG employs two types of canines. There are narcotics dogs and bomb sniffing dogs, which require a different type of training.

Each dog has to be recertified every year, so the training sessions are essential.

“He's super fast. And it’s interesting to see how hyper focused he is,” Kiser said. “I work with dogs in my free time when I’m not working at CVG. It brings me a lot of peace of mind knowing how smart these dogs are, how highly trained they are. Brick didn’t even know that we were here. Keeping our airport safe and secure is their top priority.”

Brick, Ruffing said, is particularly good at his job, having made quite a few busts over the years.

Anyone thinking they might try to sneak something by him might want to think twice.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Cassie Kiser's name. The error has been corrected. (Sept. 1, 2023)

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