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Underground Station Mascot Dogs

 A bomb-sniffing dog mascot for each underground station
  (+11, -3)(+11, -3)
(+11, -3) 		  [vote for,
against]

With yesterday's attacks, a lot of people on tv are tossing around ideas on how to prevent this from happening again. Here's mine-

Considering how much money we are spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the economic and emotional cost of another attack like this, and considering the upkeep cost of an underground station, it can't be significantly more expensive to have a bomb-sniffing dog at each station.

The dog could stand at the entrance as a mascot to greet everyone as they come into the station. The dog could be a source of pride for the neighborhood. Perhaps some of its cost could even be offset by selling t-shirts or something...

—utexaspunk, Jul 08 2005

This one is from Slough - not sure if it is still there http://www.railfane.../misc/g-woof-jp.jpg
Dating back to the 1890's [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 08 2005]

Beagles for London http://news.bbc.co....agazine/4676233.stm
Are they going to bake this???!!! [Minimal, Jul 14 2005]

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       put him/her at the bottom of the escalator.
—po, Jul 08 2005
   

       I think you'd need a few more than one at the busier stations, which would then undermine the "mascot" aspect.
—Detly, Jul 08 2005
   

       //a community of meerkats in-station//   

       That's quite possibly the funniest thing I've read all week.
—Detly, Jul 08 2005
   

       The Southern Railway used to have rescued strays on the platforms with little collection boxes strapped to their backs for the railwaymens' benevolent fund (or similar). Sometimes, after death, they were stuffed and put in glass cases on the platforms, still with their collection boxes. I know that one of these was still on one of Wimbledon station's platforms into the 1980's. I'll see if I can find a link [+]
—AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 08 2005
   

       what Detley said.
—po, Jul 08 2005
   

       A great idea! Affordable, practical, useful and cute - all at once. I will send this in to TfL (Transport for London) and see what they think.
—wagster, Jul 08 2005
   

       all that panting might cool the system down too.
—po, Jul 08 2005
   

       I'd be worried that in the absence of any platformly trees, Rover might try to spraint the commuters' legs.
—AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 08 2005
   

       Absinthe, the Bluebell Railway's got one in their museum. The plaque on the case is downright creepy, something about "though dead, he is still on duty collecting for railwaymen and their families."
—david_scothern, Jul 08 2005
   

       [ds] Yes, that sounds exactly like the plaque on the one that used to be at Wimbledon. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm at Sheffield Park. I suppose there were significant advantages in stuffing them - they didn't need feeding, and they weren't likely to trip the passengers. The money collected went to the railway orphanage in Woking (I feel there's a Jenny Agutter gag in there somewhere...)
UPDATE I understand the Slough dog (Station Jim) is still there on platform 5. I'd go and check him out, but Slough is such a dump - Betjeman was right.
—AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 08 2005
   

       Ideal stations for dog mascots include Leeds, Barking, Kennelworth etc........
—Minimal, Jul 08 2005
   

       Might be easier to simply not piss people off so much that they want to bomb us in the first place.
—ooooooooo, Jul 08 2005
   

       What? And go without war protests?
—Detly, Jul 08 2005
   

       Not all of the dogs need actually be bomb sniffing. Some could just be dogs. The deterrence factor would be the same!
—bungston, Jul 08 2005
   

       //a community of meerkats in-station//
I am suddenly reminded of the game Fur Fighters.		   

       Sorry to burst everyone's bubble of security, but I don't think this will help. It might stop a few amateurs, but intellegent terrorists (if there is such a thing) know dogs can't sniff through an airtight seal.
—Aq_Bi, Jul 08 2005
   

       [Aq-bi]: How many terrorists do you know that really want to go to the work of hermetically sealing something that's just gonna blow to pieces anyway?   

       Besides, the dogs will still be able to detect traces on hands, pant-legs, hair, et cetera.   

       In addition to creating a sense of community spirit ("Penn Station Bassets ROCK!!!! WOOOOOOO!!1!!!shift1!!!")this would also be an excellent way to reduce the strain on animal shelters. Points all around.
—shapu, Jul 08 2005
   

       i wonder what the life of someone who works with fireworks is like. Surely they would constantly have gunpowder and similar bomb like residue all over their person. i'm assuming they would carry at all times some sort of license, especially for travelling on planes and through sniffer dog security checks.
—benfrost, Jul 09 2005
   

       I'm pretty sure you have to be licensed to manufacture fireworks.   

       Besides, a few "Sorry my dog bit your crotch, but you must smell like bombs"es would be worth it, in the long run.
—shapu, Jul 09 2005
   

       [benfrost] - I used to know a guy who worked in a fireworks factory (he was a chemist). He then went on to work in a radiological laboratory. I never thought to ask him about that...
—Detly, Jul 09 2005
   

       //How many terrorists do you know that really want to go to the work of hermetically sealing something that's just gonna blow to pieces anyway?// - Just about any terrorist that wants to carry a bomb past a sniffer dog. There are actually quite complex smell-proofing techniques that have been developed by Afghan hash exporters, I kid you not.
—wagster, Jul 10 2005
   

       So long as they all look like Lassie - there's no way a hermetic seal would fool her.
"What's that old girl? I think she's trying to tell us something..."
—DocBrown, Jul 11 2005
   

       I wonder what stops an undercover terrorist from going to work in a fireworks factory. If he got a license, then he would be free to travel around smelling of gunpowder!! Perfect cover for someone who is making or transporting bombs. He could even steal gunpower or other explosives from work a small amount at a time in his shoes until he had enough for a bomb!! There must be checks in place to stop this I suppose....
—Minimal, Jul 11 2005
   

       Sure, [UnaBubba], that equipment is available, but it's really expensive, and not nearly as cute. I think I read somewhere that it's not nearly as sensitive or as quick as a dog... ...too lazy to find any evidence to back that up... :)
—utexaspunk, Jul 12 2005
   

       They might be about to bake this in London, according to The BBC. See Link...
—Minimal, Jul 14 2005
   

       Just heard it on the news - this is now baked in London.
—DocBrown, Jul 19 2005
   


 

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