About
Officer Murray
Formerly Abused Rescue Dog Now the Star of Homeland Security's 'Beagle Brigade'
Murray helps keep dangerous diseases and invasive pests out of the U.S. by sniffing out smuggled produce and meat at an Atlanta airport
Yvonne Petty remembers how pitiful Murray looked when her volunteer group, Alcovy Pet Rescue, found the beagle in a kill shelter in north Georgia. He’d been picked up as a stray after someone cut part of his right ear and part of his tail off. Then three years old, he was also very skinny.
“He was in such bad shape, but he was friendly and outgoing and you could tell he had that drive to hunt,” Petty tells PEOPLE
That drive to hunt made Murray perfect to join the Beagle Brigade – a team of 115 beagles that work with Homeland Security across the U.S. screening passengers and luggage to sniff out illegal cargo — like meat and produce that have been smuggled into the country. Almost all of the dogs in the Beagle Brigade are rescues, just like Murray.
Aaron Beaumont works at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Detector Dog Training Center and is in charge of training all the dogs. He remembers when Murray first came in and says, “Even though he’d clearly been mistreated, Murray still trusted people and was bright and just loved being around people.”
“He’s a superstar now,” says his handler Amabele Gella, an Agriculture Specialist and K-9 Enforcement Officer with Homeland Security.
The two work together daily at the baggage claim area at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and have been responsible for sniffing out some of the airport’s biggest finds – smuggled fruit and meat that carry potentially devastating diseases and plants that can carry dangerous pests.
“It’s big game of hide-and-seek for him,” Gella tells PEOPLE. “It’s fun – he’s so full of energy – he never wants to stop finding stuff – all day long he’s sniffing bags and he gets treats in return. He makes my job look easy.”
Petty couldn’t be prouder of the dog that once sat on death row. “He does such a fabulous job. He’s saved this country millions of dollars in seizures of illegal plants and food. We’re extremely proud of him.”
His trainer is thrilled too. Beaumont says, “It’s an amazing story. It’s kind of like the ultimate pauper and prince story. We take these dogs out of shelters and give them a second chance, one they really love.”
The dogs work until they turn nine. That’s when they’re officially retired and most often go to live with their handlers as household pets. Murray is only five so Gella says the two have a lot more work to do protecting the country. “He loves his job and makes me love my job even more. We find stuff every day, all day long and he just makes it fun.”
Paw-tect and serve! Rescued dog who was so badly abused that his tail had to be AMPUTATED finds new purpose - and joy - after joining Homeland Security's airport Beagle Brigade
- Five-year-old beagle Murray was picked up as a stray when he was three
- He was thin, missing part of his ear, and his tail was wrapped with a band causing it to lose circulation
- The abused pup found his way to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Detector Dog Training Center
- He now works in baggage claim, sniffing out potentially dangerous meat, produce, and pests illegally brought to the country
- Murray gets a treat when he finds something and thinks it’s a game
A five-year-old beagle named Murray was in rough shape when he was picked up as an abused stray in Georgia two years ago — but now he’s helping to protect the country as part of Homeland Security, and he loves every minute of it.
When he was three, Murray found his way to Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter, where he was skinny, hurt, and alone.
After several animal lovers stepped in to help him, he went on to train to become a member of Homeland Security’s Beagle Brigade, with which he helps sniff out potentially dangerous things that travelers bring to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
When Murray was picked up by Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter, he was not doing great. Besides being underfed, Murray was missing part of his right ear, and a bad was wrapped around his tail, cutting off circulation.
It had to be amputated.
‘He was scared and timid and everything like that, which is probably from being stuck in a small cage or kennel and not [being allowed] to socialize or [being] paid attention to,’ Tammie Jourdanais, the shelter’s director, told AJC.
‘He was very eager for love and very eager for attention,’ she added.
His injuries were too severe for him to be adopted, so the shelter put out a call for help on Facebook. That’s when two people from Alcovy Pet Rescue picked him up.
Members of the group cared for him and socialized him, before eventually handing him over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Detector Dog Training Center.
‘The dogs we’re looking for are working dogs that really need something to do,’ Kathleen Warfield, a training specialist, said. ‘They need to keep busy and be active.’
After some training, Murray was ready to join the Beagle Brigade, joining other dogs that work with Homeland Security in airports across the country to help sniff out things like food and pests that could carry dangerous disease.
‘Even though he’d clearly been mistreated, Murray still trusted people and was bright and just loved being around people,’ Aaron Beaumont, who works at the training center, told People.
‘It’s kind of like the ultimate pauper and prince story. We take these dogs out of shelters and give them a second chance, one they really love.’
Murray’s handler, an Agriculture Specialist and K-9 Enforcement Officer with Homeland Security named Amabele Gella, said he’s a ‘superstar’ now.
He works in the baggage claim area at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and helps catch all a matter of things passengers are smuggling in.
For his part, Murray loves his job.
‘It’s big game of hide-and-seek for him,’ Gella told People. ‘It’s fun — he’s so full of energy — he never wants to stop finding stuff — all day long he’s sniffing bags and he gets treats in return. He makes my job look easy.’
‘He does such a fabulous job. He’s saved this country millions of dollars in seizures of illegal plants and food. We’re extremely proud of him,’ added Yvonne Petty, who was once of the people from the pet rescue group that saved him.
Abbey Powell of USDA APHIS, an inspection service, told Inside Edition that Murray is rewarded with a treat when he finds something.
‘The dogs see it as fun. They don’t see it as work. It’s a blast for them,’ she said.
‘Murray is the happiest dog you will ever meet,’ Warfield told AJC. ‘When he’s at the airport, he just loves being in that environment.’
Murray will continue working until he is nine, when he will retire — and most likely live as his handler Gella’s pet.
The poor beagle was discovered with a damaged tail and an ear.
By Johanna Li
Updated: 12:56 PM PDT, March 23, 2017
First Published: 5:00 PM PDT, March 22, 2017
Thanks to the keen eyes and ears of Officer Murray, a 3-year-old rescue beagle, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is now is a bit safer.
Murray is now on the job for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team.
“He has been a hero,” Abbey Powell of USDA APHIS, an inspection service, told InsideEdition.com.
Powell’s organization adopted Murray after a local shelter rescued him from abuse, she said. Most of his tail had to be amputated after shelter workers suspected his former owners had tried to illegally dock it, and part of Murray’s ear was also bit or cut off.
Scared and neglected, the poor beagle was not suitable to be adopted. Luckily, Powell said his personality made him perfect for their program’s beagle brigade.
“These dogs are not suitable for homes,” Powell explained. “They have high energy and high food drive, and those are the exact things that make them good detector dogs.”
After several weeks of training, Murray started on Monday. He scurries around the airport, sniffing baggage for invasive pests and diseases.
When he finds something suspicious, Murray is trained to sit next to the bag, a signal for his handler to search it.
“Murray will get a treat after, and that is what he lives for,” Powell said. “The dogs see it as fun. They don’t see it as work. It’s a blast for them.”
Her company trains labradors and beagles, but handlers say beagles are more suitable for airport patrols because “they are more nimble in their movements.”
The Beagle Brigade: Formerly abused dog now shines with Homeland Security
There's no question that Murray is a good boy. He's working the international baggage claim area at Atlanta's airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.
ATLANTA — Meet the Beagle Brigade. These dogs are on the frontlines of Homeland Security across the country and even at Charlotte’s airport.
So how are they keeping you safe?
The dogs may be adorable, but they play an important role in keeping you and your family safe.
There’s no question that Murray is a good boy. He’s working the international baggage claim area at Atlanta’s airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.
“We’re what we call America’s frontline, the dogs actually spearhead that,” K9 Supervisor Ken Hodgkins with Customs and Border Protection said. “We try to keep any fruits or vegetables, meats out that have diseases.”
Murray is a member of the Beagle Brigade, an elite team of detector dogs who sniff out plants, meats, and animal products. There’s a whole lot of Murrays across the United States and in Charlotte that make up the Beagle Brigade.
The dogs work to keep us all safe from anything getting in the country that could destroy the food supply.
“It’s very effective, these dogs can find up to 25 seizures a day from different passengers,” Hodgkins said.
“You can tell they’re very, very excited to do what they’re doing,” a traveler named Hope said.
Hope didn’t even mind when Murray sold her out – he sniffed out the apple she’d packed as a snack, and of course, he got a treat for doing it.
It’s a sweet life for a dog who almost didn’t make it.
“He was very playful when I met him but I noticed that half of his left ear is missing and seems like tail a little bit shorter,” his handler Amabele Gella said.
Gella is an Agriculture Specialist and K-9 Enforcement Officer with Homeland Security. She said Murray was in bad shape.
Someone had cut part of Murray’s ear and tail and left him on the street. He was rescued from a kill shelter in Georgia and sent for special training to work with customs and border patrol.
“When he first came to us we had some reservations – is he gonna be able to make it back from that traumatic prior life that he had? He’s one of our best dogs now,” Hodgkins said.
In fact, almost all the dogs on the Beagle Brigade are rescues.
“He is living his best life,” Gella said.
The dogs are retired when they turn 9, and their handlers have the option of taking them home as pets.
Atlanta CBP Beagle “Murray” Intercepts Fruit, Peppers, Beef and More
ATLANTA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists and canine “Murray” at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) teamed up to intercept more than 46 pounds of exotic fruit, peppers and beef found in checked bags last week.
CBP agriculture specialists working with Murray, CBP’s newest “Beagle Brigade” canine member, alerted to suitcases belonging to travelers who arrived on different flights from Ecuador and Peru. During the secondary inspection, agriculture specialist found potatoes, chili peppers, tomatoes, banana passion fruits, yellow Dragon fruits and beef. All food items are agriculture products prohibited in passenger baggage.
“Customs and Border Protection’s agriculture inspection and protection mission is a critical trade enforcement priority,” said Carey Davis, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Atlanta. “CBP’s agriculture specialists and our Beagle Brigade work side by side to detect and intercept prohibited food items, invasive weed seeds and insects, and plant and animal diseases that pose a significant threat to U.S. agricultural industries and our nation’s economy.”
CBP canine Murray, who sniffed out the prohibited items is the newest member to join the CBP agriculture mission at ATL airport where on average, nearly fifteen thousand international travelers a day are processed. Alcovy Pet Rescue of nearby Winder, Ga., donated Murray, a 3-year-old beagle, to CBP. He recently graduated from the National Detector Dog Training Center prior to his duties at the airport.The seized food products were destroyed and the travelers were not penalized as they declared the agriculture products to CBP.
Travelers can check the general admissibility of fruits and vegetables by consulting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website or the Fruits and Vegetables Import Requirements (FAVIR) database.
CBP also provides information on the importation of plants and plant products.
On a typical day in fiscal year 2016, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 404 pests at U.S. ports of entry and 4,638 materials for quarantine.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
Abused Street Dog Becomes Leader Of Homeland Security’s Beagle Brigade
Murray is an impressive dog with a troubling past. Though he may have suffered before, he is absolutely shining in his new position with Homeland Security.
These days you’ll find Murray working the baggage claim area at Atlanta’s Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the world. If you look at this dedicated pup now, you’d have no idea that just over a year ago he was abused and fending for himself on the street.
Murray was found wondering the streets with part of his ear and tail missing from what appeared to be a deliberate injury. He was terrified, in pain, and unsure of what would lie ahead of him.
Once he was brought to the shelter, his luck changed. He was pulled from the shelter for a very important task and set off to begin his training for the Beagle Brigade.
The Beagle Brigade is a band of rescued canine officers that sniff out bags carrying meat and plants. Though plants and meat don’t seem that dangerous, they can actually carry pests that can wreak havoc on the economy.
“If that meat (that carries African Swine Fever) gets into the United States, that could devastate the whole pork industry. We’re talking billions of dollars, not just in lost revenue, but also in lost jobs and eradication efforts.” – Joseph Chopko
When Murray first arrived for his training, his handler Amabele Gella was concerned if he’d be the right fit to get the job done. He was in rough shape, and she was worried that his heartbreaking past would affect his work.
K9 Supervisor Ken Hodgkins with Customs and Border Protection states that despite Murray’s past, he is one of their best dogs now.
When you see Murray and the Beagle Brigade at work, it’s clear that they truly love what they do. The Beagles run around and eagerly sniff each travelers bag, and they do so with a mighty tail wag.
Though these canine officers are adorable, they sure work hard to protect the American public.
“It’s very effective, these dogs can find up to 25 seizures a day from different passengers.” – Hodgkins
We are truly impressed by the Beagle Brigade’s work and love the fact that rescued Beagles like Murray are getting a second chance at a wonderful life.
Thank you to the Beagle Brigade and their handlers for working so hard to keep us safe!
Abused dog to join Beagle Brigade at Hartsfield-Jackson airport
When traveling through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, most passengers will probably come across agriculture detector dogs sniffing luggage to keep potentially harmful food products and pests from entering the United States.
These dogs go through rigorous training before they’re able to patrol baggage lines, but one young beagle has already faced much more than his share of challenges.
Meet Murray, a three-year-old beagle who will be Hartsfield-Jackson’s newest agriculture detector dog in a few weeks. About a year ago, he was rescued by Alcovy Pet Rescue, Inc. from the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter, which intakes about 3000 animals annually.
“He was very eager for love and very eager for attention,” said Tammie Jourdanais, the shelter’s director.
He was brought in with a badly injured tail and with half of one of his ears missing. He was also skinny, beat up and socially neglected.
“He was scared and timid and everything like that, which is probably from being stuck in a small cage or kennel and not (being allowed) to socialize or (being) paid attention to,” Jourdanais said.
This is where Murray’s challenges began, but it was also the beginning of his path to becoming a member of the Beagle Brigade.
‘Not all people are bad people’
Most of Murray’s tail had to be amputated. He came into the shelter with a band tightly wrapped around it, cutting off circulation. Jourdanais said his owners were most likely trying to dock (or cut) his tail off without paying a veterinarian to do it.
“It causes a lot of pain,” Jourdanais said. “It cuts off the circulation until the tail just rots off pretty much.”
Not only is it illegal in Georgia for anyone other than a licensed veterinarian to dock a dog’s tail, it must also be done while the puppy is three- to five-days-old.
Murray was also missing about half of his ear. It could’ve been from a dog bite, or it could’ve been an intentional cut with a blade. It’ll most likely remain a mystery.
After Murray’s wounds were tended to and he was put on antibiotics and pain medications, he began social training.
“We socialized him with other animals, and we pretty much just loved on him, so he’d know that not all people are bad people,” Jourdanais said.
Murray’s injuries were too severe for adoption, and after the shelter posted on Facebook asking for help for Murray, Alcovy Pet Rescue director Yvonne Petty along with Claudette Towe drove from Winder to the shelter in Lavonia to help rescue him.
“When a plea like this goes out on Facebook, it’s up to the rescues to step up, go get the dog and make sure he’s taken care of and (gets) ready for adoption,” Towe said.
Towe took in Murray and fostered him for about four weeks through his socializing training and later veterinary trips.
“While he was at my place, he was so food motivated,” Towe said. “He would get into all the cabinets, trying to find food — you know, he was so skinny when he first got to us. I saw what a great nose he has.”
This led Towe to make a call to Kathleen Warfield, a training specialist at the National Detector Training Center in Newnan.
Earning his place in the Beagle Brigade
Here’s where the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered and drastically changed Murray’s future. Kathleen Warfield, a training specialist at the National Detector Training Center in Newnan, said that they acquire most of their dogs from rescues, shelters, humane societies and animal control.
“The dogs we’re looking for are working dogs that really need something to do,” Warfield said. “They need to keep busy and be active.”
While some shelter dogs fit in better within homes as pets, Warfield said Murray completely fit the description of an agriculture detection dog.GALLERY: See more photos of Murray at work
“Murray is the happiest dog you will ever meet (laughs),” Warfield said. “When he’s at the airport, he just loves being in that environment.”
The USDA established the detector dog program in 1984, and it was a team of beagles located in the Los Angeles International Airport. The team was lovingly named the Beagle Brigade.
“People aren’t intimidated by beagles at the airport, where if you brought in a German shepherd or bigger dogs, they are,” Warfield said. “These dogs have to work very closely around the passengers if they’re coming through international airports, checking their bags and carry-ons.”
These dogs go through an evaluation process to see how they acclimate to their future work environment within an airport. This is where trainers see how they deal with lots of noise and being surrounded by people.
After that, they enter a four to six-week training period until they’re ready for graduation. Murray graduated the program on March 16 along with three other dogs. While those dogs are heading to Boston, San Francisco and Baltimore, Murray is staying in state and will work at Hartsfield-Jackson.
Protecting agriculture one sniff at a time
Murray’s first day on the job will come in a few weeks once he’s acclimated to his new workplace.
“So what he’s been trained to do is to sniff bags, boxes, anything coming in with passengers or on the baggage belt to make sure there’s no food, fruit or meat items that could have pests or diseases that could harm American agriculture,” Warfield said.
According to the USDA’s website, agriculture is the largest industry and employment sector in the United States, amassing more than $1 trillion in annual economic activity. Attempting to protect this industry, approximately 1.7 million materials were quarantined in 2016 by these detector dogs and more than 60,000 harmful pests were intercepted.
“They save time, a lot of money and our food sources, so they’re very, very important,” Warfield said. “And we love them (laughs).”
As important of a job as it is, Warfield added that it doesn’t feel like work to these dogs. It’s more of a huge game of find and seek.
“It’s like a game to them to find that particular odor, and then they get rewarded with a treat, so they have to be very food motivated — Murray is definitely that,” Warfield said.
Murray will live in a kennel near Hartsfield-Jackson and will be picked up each day for his shift. Typically, once these dogs retire, they are adopted by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agent who’s already worked with them and developed a bond with the dogs.
Most detector dogs work until they’re about 9 years old, so Murray should have an exciting 6-year career ahead of him.
“He has made me so proud,” Jourdanais said. “These dogs mean so much to me. I like to know that when they leave me, the rest of their life is the best of their life.”
Ways to help
The USDA accepts private donations, and anyone with a beagle, beagle-mix, lab or lab-mix who is curious about detector dog procurement for their dog, call 844-876-3755 or 770-304-7925 for more information. If you are interested in adopting a pet from Alcovy Pet Rescue, Inc., visit alcovypet.com or call 770-580-0502.