Guide Dog Gets Pat Down From TSA Agent, Thinks He's Making a New Friend
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The moment a guide dog looked delighted to receive a pat-down while going through TSA has gone viral and touched the hearts of many TikTok users.
Paul Castle, who is blind, and his partner Matthew were traveling over the holidays and like a record number of Americans, were screened at TSA before their flight. As Castle has a guide dog, named Mr. Maple, there are a few extra steps for the couple when catching flights.
The pair shared a sweet video of their recent travels, showing Mr. Maple getting called for a pat down by a TSA agent, seemingly delighted at the interaction he got to have with the airport worker.
"When I approached the TSA checkpoint with Mr. Maple, I knew exactly what to expect," Castle told Newsweek. "After I walk through the metal detector, I call him through, and because his guide dog harness contains metal parts, it always sets off the alarm.
"This leads to a gentle pat down by a TSA agent, who checks inside the harness to ensure there's nothing hidden. It's a completely routine step that I was trained to handle during my intensive two-week course at Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2021. I've done this numerous times since traveling with Mr. Maple, and he absolutely adores the extra attention—his tail never stops wagging!"