After reading Kristi Noem’s sickening story bragging about shooting her puppy, I thought we needed a pure, feel good dog story today. From the Dodo:
Messi, an 8-year-old Labrador retriever, has worked as a professional Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent for most of his life. Since his first day on the job at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, he’s enjoyed nothing more than screening luggage for explosives and keeping the airport safe.
But after years of hard work, Messi recently became eligible for retirement — and his beloved team of agents decided to celebrate him with a special surprise.[…]
The professional good boy trotted into work each day with his handler, Peter, excited for another shift of scent-tracking. As much as he loved sniffing bags for explosives, Messi’s favorite moments involved the celebratory tennis balls he’d receive whenever he did a great job.
So, for his last shift ever, his doting team showered him with an avalanche of tennis balls, which surprised the unsuspecting boy.
“A training aid was concealed in a large room and Messi, along with his handler, Peter, searched the room,” the TSA wrote. “When Messi ‘hit’ on the device, he was showered with tennis balls tossed his way by other canine handlers. Messi was thrilled!”
You can watch that moment here:
.@TSA passenger screening canine Messi alerts on his last bag before retiring. And then he is showered with dozens of his favorite toys as his retirement celebration kicks off at @Reagan_Airport this morning. pic.twitter.com/aMyqa2zd4s
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) April 19, 2024
Messi leaped with joy as the hoard of tennis balls fell around him, scrambling to scoop at least one into his mouth. While some of his coworkers cheered him on, others began blowing bubbles in his direction to ramp up the excitement.
After a few minutes of playing with the tennis balls, Peter surprised Messi with a meaningful and long-awaited change in attire.
“Peter then removed Messi’s ‘Do Not Pet’ patch from his harness, thus officially signaling that the dog was no longer a working canine and could be petted,” the TSA wrote. “There was no shortage of guests who were eager to pet the newly retired dog.”
[…]
After an exciting evening of celebrating with the rest of the TSA crew, Messi returned home with Peter to begin a blissful retirement alongside his favorite human.
“The dog is ready to trade in his working vest for afternoons lounging on the sofa,” the TSA wrote.
All good boys and girls deserve to be treated with kindness and care even if they have a job to do.