CIA dog turns its nose up at bomb sniffing

A BOMB-SNIFFING dog has been dropped from a CIA training programme after it lost interest in finding explosives.

Lulu the labrador started out as a promising recruit in the latest intake of puppies for the US intelligence agency’s training programme.

Then, according to the agency, a few weeks later the dog started showing signs it was no longer interested in “detecting explosive odours”.

Lulu’s handlers tried to work out what was affecting it, as puppies can go through periods where they lose focus in their training. In a blog post, the CIA said: “There can be a million reasons why a particular dog has a bad day, and the trainers become doggy psychologists trying to figure out what will help the dog come out of its funk.

“Sometimes the pup is bored and just needs extra playtime or more challenges, sometimes the dog need a little break, and sometimes it’s a minor medical condition like a food allergy requiring switching to a different kibble. After a few days, the trainers work the pup through whatever issue has arisen, and the dog is back eagerly and happily ready to continue.”

However, there seemed to be no solving Lulu’s disinterest and the CIA decided it was time to retire the dog.

The labrador was adopted by its handler and now spends it days playing with the family’s children and sniffing out rabbits and squirrels in the garden.