CIA Fires Lulu, A Bomb-Sniffing Dog Who Flunked Smell-Detection Test

"All dogs, like humans, have good & bad days when learning something new. Lulu wasn’t interested in searching for explosives. Even when motivated by food & play, she was clearly no longer enjoying herself," the Central Intelligence Agency said Wednesday in a rare cutesy attempt to use a lighter tone than what the secretive agency is known for- much darker stories.

In a series of tweets Wednesday, the agency broke the news that Lulu, a one-and-a-half-year-old black Labrador retriever had been relieved of its duties as the CIA said she just "wasn't interested in detecting explosive odors." She flunked out of their bomb-sniffing school as she showed no interest in detecting bombs.

"For our K9 trainers, it’s imperative that the dogs enjoy the job they’re doing. Sometimes, even when a pup tests well and they successfully learn how to detect explosive odors, they make it clear that being an explosive detection K9 is not the life for them. Such is the case for one of the fall 2017 ‘puppy class’ pups,” read the CIA statement. "We are sad to announce that Lulu has been dropped from the program," the CIA announced.

In their "Pupdate," CIA wrote, "A few weeks into training, Lulu began to show signs that she wasn’t interested in detecting explosive odors. Lulu was no longer interested in searching for explosives." The decision to drop Lulu out of the program had been made out of concern for her physical and mental wellbeing, the CIA said.

Initially, the CIA described Lulu as "hyper and silly" with an "easygoing sweetness," but eventually they found that she had other passions than bomb detection. The post about Lulu's dismissal on the CIA site explained that when a canine leaves the K9 training program at their agency, the dog’s handler is the one who gets the first chance to adopt the puppy and they can choose to do that. And that’s exactly what happened in the case of Lulu, who was adopted by her handler and now appears to be living her best life with her handler’s children, "sniffing out rabbits and squirrels in the backyard," and whiling away her time with "Harry," who appears to be another black Lab.

"She now enjoys her days playing with his kids, sniffing out rabbits and squirrels in the backyard, and eating meals and snacks out of a dog dish," the agency said.

In conclusion, the CIA said, "We’ll miss Lulu, but this was the right decision for her. We wish her all the best in her new life."

As dogs can detect about 19,000 explosive scents, the C.I.A.’s prospective bomb sniffer K9s generally face a six-week, including a seven-days-a-week training course, in which they are taught to identify threats. The dogs then go on to have a one-on-one training for 10 weeks with their respective handlers.

A successful graduate from this program learns how to detect explosives in cars and luggage. The 60-hour canine workweek usually includes shifts with the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Park Police and local police departments. Their careers typically last for seven or eight years.