Blue the bomb-sniffing lab joins Sacramento Regional Transit: ‘Happiest dog in the world’
A 2-year-old Labrador retriever named Blue is the newest rookie to join the Sacramento Regional Transit team.
The bomb-sniffing K-9, who joined RT this spring, works as “the agency’s resident explosive devices detector on trains, at stations and in SacRT facilities,” RT said in a Monday blog post.
Blue and his partner, Officer Ryan Chapman, are part of the agency’s safety and security team. That includes team members who monitor the RT system via camera feeds at RT Security Operations Center inside a Sacramento Police Department facility, according to the post.
Their job is to “make its facilities safer as part of the agency’s partnership efforts with the Federal Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration,” according to the post.
“He’s the happiest dog in the world,” Chapman said of Blue. “He loves to come to work. We have such a bond. I can’t imagine being without him.”
Who is new K-9 at Sacramento Regional Transit District?
Before Blue landed his job at RT, the chocolate lab was in an overcrowded animal shelter in Merced County, according to the post.
He was about to be euthanized when Labs 2 Love, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing Labrador retrievers and Labrador retriever mixes, found him.
“No one was taking him,” Karen Robles of Labs 2 Love said. “He was too exuberant and excited, but he’s a super neat dog, obedient and friendly.”
After Labs 2 Love rescued Blue, the nonprofit got a call from the Sacramento Police Department, which was looking for a new dog.
What makes Labrador retriever a good bomb-sniffing dog?
Tests showed that Blue has a characteristic common to bomb-sniffing dogs.
“They have to be crazy about toys,” Chapman explained in the post. “Finding explosives is, to them, a game of finding a toy. It’s basically hide and seek.”
After Blue got the job he showed solid bomb-sniffing skills, the post said. “While doing a sweep, Blue detected a box that, when tested, showed evidence that it had previously contained fireworks.”
Blue passed his exam this year and received his sniffing certificate, the post said.
Blue now works 40 hours a week alongside Chapman and shares a home with his partner.
He took over the K9 position at the district from Waverly, a yellow lab dog who retired in early 2023.
“It worked out great for him, it worked out great for us, and for the public,” Chapman said in the post. “We’re helping keep the public safe.
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