Yvonne Petty vividly remembers just how terrible Murray the beagle looked when her volunteer group Alcovy Pet Rescue found him at a kill shelter in north Georgia. Murray was just three years-old at the time, and he had been picked up as a stray after someone cut part of his right ear and part of his tail off.

“He was in such bad shape, but he was friendly and outgoing and you could tell he had that drive to hunt,” Yvonne recalled.

It was this drive to hunt that made Murray the perfect animal to join the Beagle Brigade, which is a team of 115 beagles that work with Homeland Security across the U.S. screening passengers and luggage to sniff out illegal cargo. The vast majority of the dogs in the Beagle Brigade are rescues, just like Murray is.

Aaron Beaumont, who trains all the dogs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Detector Dog Training Center, remembers when Murray first came in.

“Even though he’d clearly been mistreated, Murray still trusted people and was bright and just loved being around people,” Aaron said.

“He’s a superstar now,” added Murray’s handler Amabele Gella, an Agriculture Specialist and K-9 Enforcement Officer with Homeland Security.

Murray and Amabele work together every day at the baggage claim area at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and together, they have been responsible for sniffing out some of the airport’s biggest finds. Their finds include  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,” Amabele said. “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.”

Yvonne said that she could not be more proud of Murray.

“He does such a fabulous job,” she said. “He’s saved this country millions of dollars in seizures of illegal plants and food. We’re extremely proud of him.”

Aaron also could not be more proud of Murray.

“It’s an amazing story,” Aaron said. “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 in this program work until they are nine, at which time they officially retire and typically go live with their handlers as household pets. Since Murray is only five, Amabele said they have many more years left of serving their country together.

“He loves his job and makes me love my job even more,” she said. “We find stuff every day, all day long and he just makes it fun.”