Categories: uncategorized
Date: 17 April 2007 22:55:35
This would be really funny except that it could have been really not very funny at all.
It was lovely waiting for Tiddles at the airport this morning. I'd arrived about an hour before his plane landed and was sitting quietly with a drink and a puzzle book, my mini-rucksack on the floor beside my foot, and just people-watching. I was surprised to see some young dogs cavorting round the airport, and realised quite quickly that they were trainee sniffer dogs and that the rather handsome t-shirted gentlemen accompanying them were dog handlers. It was really interesting to see how they trained these dogs - taking them round the airport as though playing a game. One handler had the dog on a lead and clearly did not know what they were looking for, one handler had a tennis ball which he threw to the dog as a reward, and sitting inconspicuously in the terminal was a stooge with a bag containing whatever it was the dog was being taught to sniff out. When the dog finally found her, the handler threw them the ball and gave them a lot of fuss.
I was thinking what fun it would be to be the stooge. I'd actually noticed her before they started tracking because she was sitting at the internet computers but not using them, just reading her newspaper instead. I had thought it was strange! When the first of the dogs tracked her down and started attacking her handbag, the penny dropped! Then that dog was rewarded and taken away and a new handler arrived in the terminal with his dog and the whole process started again.
The last dog (luckily) was a real beauty and quite a softie too. She was so sweet as she bounced her way excitedly around past my feet. Then she turned and came back. I was tempted to stroke her but thought it might not be the done thing. Then she went for my bag. She pushed it round and round with her nose, getting more and more excited. The handler came over and she signalled to him that she'd found something. I was very relieved to know she'd made a mistake, but wondered what on earth would happen, so I just waited patiently, letting her sit on my bag and waiting for the handler to sort it out - well aware he may need to search it but not too bothered. He asked if I had any money in my bag and I said I had quite a bit (still having some of the wightmeet money in there) and showed it to him. Apparently this little dog had a tendency to confuse the smell of money with the smell of drugs. They apologised and went on their way, the dog then running straight to the stooge and getting her reward.
I sat there smiling... until suddenly my heart hit my boots rather suddenly.
I had completely forgotten... two months ago I had placed in the hidden pocket in my bag a pack of loose tobacco I had confiscated, a pack the contents of which I was not too certain was just tobacco and had intended to ask someone to check. Needless to say, I am now a bit more certain of the contents and they have now been well and truly destroyed. The certainty of the matter is that if they had searched my bag they'd have found that pocket and I somehow don't think we'd have been visiting any schools this afternoon.......
A bit scary, actually.