The lights at Otopeni Airport’s Terminal D projected gray on everything they touched. Officer Andre studied the crowd with attention that was built from years of working in the field. Walking at his side was a German Shepherd named Luna, whose shining black coat and smart eyes made her imposing. For a period of three years, they were tied together as one. Luna isERROR! has never made a mistake in all her years.
He watched the crowd of people, gauging how they moved, reacted and interacted. He understood the game completely.
That night, everything felt different.
Luna came to a sudden halt. She instantly turned towards the woman, her ears stood straight and her eyes were fixed on a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. Her nostrils widened tremendously and she snuffed the air more vigorously than usual. At that point, a dangerous-sounding growl came unexpectedly from her mouth.
Andrei spotted the movement as soon as it happened. A change in the air could be felt and the noisy terminal faded quickly like a dream. The woman, who was a slender brunette with big eyes and a pale face, grabbed the pram handle and couldn’t stop stammering.
— Take the dog away from my child!
Still, Luna did not obey. This was the first time in Administrator’s career that she didn’t obey her handler’s instructions. She quickly moved towards the stroller, pushing her big paws against the plastic. The blue paper came off, revealing an amazing discovery.
Nothing was found under the baby blanket. Instead, I placed a thermal bag between the two pillows and closed the flask tightly. The equipment was marked with labels in both Russian and Chinese, plus danger signs for biological materials. You could clearly see shiny canisters inside and a foul chemical smell came from them.
Andrei did not hesitate before acting. The man grabbed the woman’s arm and led her to a distance and Luna stood still, watching the stroller. A different police officer quickly left to notify the anti-terrorist squad.
— What on earth is this? Where is the child? Andrei shouted as the woman’s eyes started tearing up.
With tears in her eyes, she shook her head and told me:
– There was no sign of a baby. Officers told me to pass it through security. I don’t know what I will find.
Only a short time was needed to secure the area. Emergency teams immediately entered the terminal and specialists wearing protection handled the suspected containers.
Afterward, authorities focused on tracing an international group smuggling forbidden biological material. It seems that the packages contained samples from Asian illegal laboratories, set to be used in a secret facility in Western Europe. Experts pointed out that the chemicals could have caused a serious health emergency if by accident or design.
The woman was told she could easily make a lot of money in exchange for her help. Even without knowing exactly what she was moving, she consented to carry a “discreet bundle” over the border, telling the border guards it was a child asleep.
Her story was shared widely in many places. Later that night, television stations showed photographs of the heroic dog and Officer Popescu everywhere. Many people complimented her bravery and said her incredible instinct kept people from encountering a big disaster.
Andrei then moved and later explained:
— Luna went beyond her job as a service dog on that night. She looked after all who passed through the airport and possibly all of Europe.
A basic verification step by the control room that night prevented a major disaster.
