Security staff at Auckland International Airport say they tried everything they could to retrieve a detector dog who caused havoc this morning, before deciding to shoot it dead.
Sixteen flights were delayed after the dog got loose. Photo: Supplied
The explosives detector dog, named Grizz, escaped from its handler about 4.30am, running onto the runway and evading capture for three hours.
One passenger wrote on Facebook, "Somewhere out there in the rising dawn on the runway is the dog that has eluded capture and delayed our departure by over an hour while we sit on the tarmac."
The 10-month-old bearded collie/German short-haired pointer cross was just six months away from graduating as an explosives detector dog.
The Aviation Security Service (Avsec) said the young dog fled its handler while it was being loaded into the back of a unit wagon.
It managed to get into the security area when a gate opened to let a truck through.
The airport staff spent about three hours trying to catch Grizz, using toys, other dogs, food and a range of handlers to try and coax the dog back to safety, Avsec said.
A spokesperson said it was difficult to track the dog in the dark and when he was found, he would dart across the runway.
All attempts to catch Grizz failed and police were told to shoot it as a last resort, it said.
Inspector Tracy Phillips said it was not an outcome anyone wanted.
The lengthy dog-chase disrupted at least 16 flights.
Avsec have not confirmed why a tranquilliser was not used.
The safety of the dog and people on the ground and in the air were paramount in the decision-making, an spokesperson for the airport added.
Avsec would undertake a review of the incident to try and ascertain what spooked the dog and if there were any implications for ongoing training.
'It's an absolute tragedy for these guys'
A former biosecurity dog trainer said Auckland Airport handlers would be devastated one of their dogs was shot dead.
Ms Williams said the dog must have been badly spooked to be uncatcheable.
Auckland Airport. Photo: 123RF
"It could have been fumes, it could have been noise, it could have been something falling, it could have been something in the luggage that he was detecting. It could also be that the dog wasn't well.
"It's an absolute tragedy for these guys. They put their heart and soul into these dogs, so this is the last thing they would have wanted."
She said aviation dogs cost $20,000 to $60,000, depending on how proficient the dog was. They were hard to replace.
"They would have put in immense amount of training in from day one with the dog."
Ms Williams said they would have assessed its ability to detect scent, screen luggage, be safe around passengers and cope with the noisy airport environment.