To whom it may concern...(My letter to anyone...and everyone)

Dear Mr. XXXXXXX.

I'm writing to you today as a worried and concerned CTA customer who feels this issue desperately needs to be addressed; The bomb sniffing dogs that the CTA has outsourced to Securitas. I have encountered these bomb sniffing dogs and their handlers well over 50 times in the past two years I have lived in Chicago, Why do I remember how many times I encountered them? Because everyone of those 50 times I have seen these dogs, they appear overly fatigued. I have been around dogs all my life and even have volunteered in a dog shelter for the past year. All of the sick and unhealthy dogs I have seen in that shelter's clinic do not compare to how physically drained these Securitas dogs look and act. I'm sure many fellow CTA passengers have witnessed these dogs which appear as though they are about ready to collapse (literally), so how is it that these dogs are supposed to be sniffing for bombs when it looks like they are barely able to stand up straight or keep their eyes open!? I have a very high level of suspicion these dogs are continually being overworked, I have seen many NYPD subway bomb sniffing dogs in NYC and none of those dogs showed anywhere near the level of fatigue that the Securitas dogs display, in fact the NYPD dogs actually looked like they knew what they were doing (by that I mean actually sniffing around). This is not in anyway meant to lay blame on the dogs, actually its just the opposite for the dogs are only doing what their handlers are telling them to do, which appears to be...not much! The Securitas handlers never walk the dogs around to actively sniff for bombs instead they generally stand in one place, which means unless the bomb is within a three foot radius of them, we are all out of luck! This past summer I have witnessed the dog handlers yelling at the dogs in front of CTA customers to drink water and on two occasions actually yelling expletives at them and throwing the water they wouldn't drink in the dogs' faces. I have also witnessed a dog handler at the Washington station actually pull the dogs the leash so hard the dog let out a muted yelp through its muzzle. Not only mistreatment of the dogs has been witnessed but I have overheard numerous raunchy and apalling conversations between the dog handlers about their "bar experiences" the night before clearly audible to me and other CTA passengers. But Today was the boiling point. A couple of Securitas handlers came up behind me at the Jackson Red Line stop (with their pathetically tired looking dogs). I noticed the female dog handler, and was shocked to see she had her Ipod ear buds blasting music into her ears, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So that's wonderful, if the dog actually gets enough strength to detect the smell of a bomb and barks, the handler will not even know it because she is listening to Kayne at max volume, absolutely unbelievable! The level of incomptence and unprofessionalism these Securitas dog handlers consistently display reflects extremely poorly upon the CTA. These dogs always appear overly lethargic and their handlers completely careless. This seems proof enough for the CTA to address these issues and stop using Securitas and their extremely ineffective method of protecting the CTA's riders safety.

These dogs are trying to protect us the least we can do is protect them, from their handlers and this poorly run security company. Some might not have the same level of compassion for the dogs that I have but they surely can have compassion and concern for fellow CTA riders' safety. Entrusting the safety of loyal CTA customers into this joke of a company is not right. Why are we not being protected professionally by CPD canine bomb dogs like NYC transit riders are? It's a shame such well trained animals are being lead around by such poorly trained handlers.

Thank You for your time and consideration Mr. XXXXXXX with this very important and unfortunate mattter.