Suddenly Flying Tennis Balls... Why the US Detection Dog Jumped Excitedly

Surprise Event Prepared by Employees
Toy Gift for Rex While Working

A special and happy retirement ceremony for a detection dog who has been searching for explosives at airports for years has been revealed.

Rex, a dog who worked as a detection dog at the airport, had a splendid retirement ceremony receiving a lot of his "favorite toys" as gifts.
[Image source=U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)]

On the 8th (local time), the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that the retirement ceremony for the explosive detection dog 'Rex' was held on the 2nd at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin. Rex, who belongs to the TSA, is 6 years old this year and started working as a detection dog at the age of one, serving actively for five years. He worked at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the first three years and then served as the first detection dog at Mitchell Airport.

At Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in the United States, employees held a surprise retirement ceremony for Rex, a detection dog, by throwing tennis balls to him.
[Image source=Captured from X (formerly Twitter)]

To honor Rex's hard work, airport staff prepared a 'surprise retirement ceremony.' It was a 'ball shower' event where they simultaneously gifted Rex with plenty of tennis balls, his favorite toy. In the video capturing the moment, Rex appears to detect a suspicious smell from a passenger's carry-on as usual, following behind and sniffing. At that moment, the staff lined up beside him suddenly threw tennis balls simultaneously, and Rex, initially startled by the balls raining down like rain from the sky, soon seemed excited and jumped around happily.

Rex playing with the ball gifted at the surprise retirement ceremony.
[Image source=Capture from X (formerly Twitter)]

After the best retirement ceremony of his 'dog life,' Rex removed the 'Do Not Pet' sign he always carried to maintain focus and returned to being an ordinary dog. He is scheduled to be adopted by his trainer, Reina Eisenberg, with whom he worked closely during his detection dog career, to spend the rest of his life together. The TSA stated, "We hope Rex will take naps on the sofa after retirement, run on the beach for the first time, and enjoy his favorite toys."

Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as "The viewers are happier," "Everyone in the video is smiling brightly," "He must have worked really hard all this time," "Thank you for your hard work," and "I hope he becomes a dog enjoying a peaceful daily life now."