# Drug dogs at airport nose bumping your front and back goods **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 27, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574 "2018-01-27T05:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/1 "2018-01-27T05:55:26Z")
Serious Q… at DIA while you are still standing in line the drug dogs bump their noise against your crotch and butt while you are standing in line. Isn’t that like, a violation of your civil liberties? That dog is under the control of a human, and that human would not be allowed to touch you like that. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/2 "2018-01-27T06:36:26Z")
Eeww, that doesn’t seem right. I understand why. I suppose you give up your civil rights at the door to the airport. It’s a strange world we find ourselves in. Some one needs to step up and challenge this practice. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/3 "2018-01-27T06:41:57Z")
If people would promise not to hide drugs in their crotch or up their anus, this problem could be solved. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/4 "2018-01-27T06:55:36Z")
Moved to Great Debates. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/5 "2018-01-27T07:08:02Z")
I’m not sure this belongs in Great Debates, as I suspect there is an actual answer to the question, “What are my civil liberties in an airport?” But anyway, the best I could find was [here](https://www.elsevier.com/connect/what-are-your-rights-at-airport-screenings-and-checkpoints) (written by a Senior Policy Advisor at the US Dept. of Homeland Security): > [@](#): > > Although it is illegal for law enforcement officers to perform any stops, searches, detentions or removals based solely on race, national origin, religion, sex or ethnicity, CBP officials may stop travelers based on citizenship or travel itinerary at the airport (or other ports of entry, including land crossings and seaports). Police need probable cause to search someone on the street, but the Supreme Court has ruled that no such suspicion is necessary for a search at the border, including international airports, which courts have ruled to be the equivalent of a border (United States v. Ramsey, 1977). > > The Supreme Court has gone further to rule that not only is the expectation of privacy less at the international border than within the United States, but that the Fourth Amendment balance between the interests of the government and the privacy right of the individual leans in favor of the government at the border (Almeida-Sanchez v. United States, 1973). Additionally, there remains a distinction between border searches of the person and border searches of property. Until recently, customs officers at the border were authorized to search all travelers’ closed containers without any level of suspicion (United States v. Montoya de Hernandez, 1985). For the purposes of these searches, electronic devices are considered closed containers. CBP officials can, and sometimes do, retain electronic devices for a significant period of time for forensic review and examination. > > Per the Ramsey decision, searches of the person at an international border are not subject to any requirement of reasonable suspicion or probable cause and do not require a warrant. Nonetheless, more invasive searches or seizures of a person’s body require some suspicion. I wouldn’t describe a dog sniffing me a “more invasive search” of my body, so suspect it doesn’t require reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Also worth noting that this article only applies at international airports (which covers most major US airports, I suspect) because they’re considered part of the border. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/6 "2018-01-27T07:16:02Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > That dog is under the control of a human, and that human would not be allowed to touch you like that. Where did you get that idea? The TSA has been touching our junk for like 17 years. By stated TSA policy a same-sex agent in the presence of at least one witness is allowed to pat you down from head to toe. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/7 "2018-01-27T09:44:23Z")
A working enforcement dog should not be bumping your privates (or anything) unless they smell something interesting and need to take a closer whiff to see if it matches their hit list. These are not a neighbor’s poorly trained pooch. In fact, for the most part when I see these dogs working at airports lately they are in a clearly marked area that travelers must walk past, and there is a demarcation between the dog and the travelers. They do not want you touching the dogs. I’m surprised to hear that enforcement dogs have been touching you on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/8 "2018-01-27T13:11:44Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > By stated TSA policy a same-sex agent in the presence of at least one witness is allowed to pat you down from head to toe. I like to ensure I’m dealing with same-sex agents by always greeting TSA dogs with, “You’re a bitch!” If nobody corrects me, then I know it’s okay for her to sniff me. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/9 "2018-01-27T14:29:22Z")
I have to add that my own dogs are intensely fascinated by my dirty clothes hamper. In fact, I sometimes have trouble luring them back out of the closet once they start sniffing through it. My underwear is apparently a sensory superlative. Even well-trained dogs like to get real close and get a good smell. I think that’s the only reason they keep us around. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/10 "2018-01-27T14:38:23Z")
Just put a few Tide pods in your undies before going to the airport. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/11 "2018-01-27T15:41:34Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > Where did you get that idea? The TSA has been touching our junk for like 17 years. By stated TSA policy a same-sex agent in the presence of at least one witness is allowed to pat you down from head to toe. Seriously. Last time I went through security a TSA agent came up behind me and grabbed my ass with both hands, no warning whatsoever. I’d much prefer a dog sniffing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/12 "2018-01-27T20:55:40Z")
Yeah, that wasn’t a TSA agent. They were just pretending to be one. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/13 "2018-01-27T21:05:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If people would promise not to hide drugs in their crotch or up their anus, this problem could be solved. So true, if only life could be so simple. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/14 "2018-01-27T21:42:26Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Seriously. Last time I went through security a TSA agent came up behind me and grabbed my ass with both hands, no warning whatsoever. I’d much prefer a dog sniffing. Really? That should not have happened. You should’ve screamed. Did you ask any questions? And, the big question, Do you have a nice ass? (I kid). ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/15 "2018-01-27T23:22:19Z")
I think I figured it out… you guys are perverts. Man’s best friend and all that. Touching and smelling my dick at the airport is completely unnecessary. So is touching and smelling my asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/16 "2018-01-28T00:09:40Z")
Feel free to take the animal to kangaroo court. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/17 "2018-01-28T00:15:01Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > I think I figured it out… you guys are perverts. Man’s best friend and all that. > > Touching and smelling my dick at the airport is completely unnecessary. So is touching and smelling my asshole. See post #3. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/18 "2018-01-28T00:20:43Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > I think I figured it out… you guys are perverts. Man’s best friend and all that. > > Touching and smelling my dick at the airport is completely unnecessary. So is touching and smelling my asshole. as stated above the DEA/TSA thinks they do and they have the court ordered right to do so Your feelings about it are irrelevant I’m sure tho having a dog do a bump and sniff would be more convenient than a county jail /prison style strip search with flashlight and balloon in a stall in the back ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/19 "2018-01-28T00:25:45Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > Touching and smelling my dick at the airport is completely unnecessary. So is touching and smelling my asshole. Try telling that to former Senator Larry Craig… ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574/20 "2018-01-28T00:42:16Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I’m sure tho having a dog do a bump and sniff would be more convenient than a county jail /prison style strip search with flashlight and balloon in a stall in the back They only offer that for first class passengers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-dogs-at-airport-nose-bumping-your-front-and-back-goods/807574.md?page=2)