Izzy’s nose, knows ©Yahoo.com
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If you’ve ever forgotten an exotic piece of fruit in your baggage en route to Kennedy Airport, Izzy the beagle might have sniffed it out before your bag left the airport.
The 6 year old beagle works for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Her daily task is to stroll the luggage carousels at Kennedy, sniffing for illegal food. With her enhanced sense of smell, she helps regulate ‘appropriate’ agricultural products throughout the airport.
With just one sniff, Izzy can determine whether a bag is worth searching ”” a seconds-long appraisal that would take human officers hours to do, given that about 1 million travelers pass through Kennedy Airport in a single month. During her three years of employment, she’s found everything from duck tongues to pigs’ heads and feet.
Video of Izzy in action can be seen at USA Today.