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I flew into Chicago from the UK a few months ago. A guy a few spaces behind me in the line had a search dog stop at his feet. He had some fruit in his bag. I ca

I flew into Chicago from the UK a few months ago. A guy a few spaces behind me in the line had a search dog stop at his feet. He had some fruit in his bag. I can't remember what it was, an apple or something. They gave him a form to fill in and he had to pay a fine. I had a banana in my bag. A very ripe one. But the bag was on my shoulder rather than on the floor by my feet so the dog just walked straight past me. There's a hack to remember.

viraptor 10y ago
If anyone's thinking about it - don't. mike-cardwell got lucky. Dogs at the airport sniff everything. Whether you have something in your backpack or the bag on the floor, NZ has pretty bad fines even for stupid stuff like obviously half eaten and taken by accident piece of fruit.
- mike-cardwell 10y ago
  Yeah. I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it on purpose.
wtbob 10y ago
> But the bag was on my shoulder rather than on the floor by my feet so the dog just walked straight past me. There's a hack to remember. I've been asked to take my bag off my shoulder so the dog could sniff it. I wouldn't recommend this 'hack' — seems too likely to fail.
- Humdeee 10y ago
  I'm surprised any bag would ever be allowed anywhere off the ground in their presence. K-9 officers generally just call for all people to rest their bags and luggage on the floor to one side. While the dog makes it's rounds, you're also being watched for body language and behaviour.
brokenmachine 10y ago
Or... Just buy a banana from the fruit shop on the other side of the border, and don't risk a fine or ruining a country's entire fruit industry?
- mike-cardwell 10y ago
  "ruining a country's entire fruit industry?" is overly dramatic. If this experience was anything to go by, it seems likely that fruit is constantly accidentally brought across the border. I've been to the US a few times and this is the first time a dog went anywhere near my bag, and even when one did, it didn't detect the fruit.

viraptor 10y ago

If anyone's thinking about it - don't. mike-cardwell got lucky. Dogs at the airport sniff everything. Whether you have something in your backpack or the bag on the floor, NZ has pretty bad fines even for stupid stuff like obviously half eaten and taken by accident piece of fruit.

mike-cardwell 10y ago
Yeah. I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it on purpose.

wtbob 10y ago

> But the bag was on my shoulder rather than on the floor by my feet so the dog just walked straight past me. There's a hack to remember. I've been asked to take my bag off my shoulder so the dog could sniff it. I wouldn't recommend this 'hack' — seems too likely to fail.

Humdeee 10y ago
I'm surprised any bag would ever be allowed anywhere off the ground in their presence. K-9 officers generally just call for all people to rest their bags and luggage on the floor to one side. While the dog makes it's rounds, you're also being watched for body language and behaviour.

brokenmachine 10y ago

Or... Just buy a banana from the fruit shop on the other side of the border, and don't risk a fine or ruining a country's entire fruit industry?

mike-cardwell 10y ago
"ruining a country's entire fruit industry?" is overly dramatic. If this experience was anything to go by, it seems likely that fruit is constantly accidentally brought across the border. I've been to the US a few times and this is the first time a dog went anywhere near my bag, and even when one did, it didn't detect the fruit.