NAME: Beau
TITLE: Security dog, Kerik, Bellistri & Associates
FLOOR: Cargo bay on ground floor
CLAIM TO FAME: Golden eyes and a nose that knows
QUOTE: "Beau so loves the water!"

Bad guys beware!

Whenever a truck drives into the Empire State Building delivery bay, a six-legged security team comes bounding up, looking for explosives that could turn the skyscraper to rubble.

Ray Rollison and his K-9 companion, Beau, are part of five such teams protecting the skyscraper from potential mischief 24/7.

Nineteen-month-old, 75-pound Beau is half Labrador, half Chesapeake Bay retriever and after only two months on the job, is already a member of the selected few who qualify for intensive -- and expensive --training.

A qualified high-security dog can fetch around $15,000. Add a few amenities such as a kennel and a special van and the investment can triple.

The active life of a service animal lasts no more than five to seven years. New dogs are always in training, especially in this era of heightened homeland security.

Only one in 70 selected puppies makes the grade to become K-9s, according to police dog training associations. Labradors and German shepherds are favorites. Ironically, aggressiveness is not among the characteristics required for an explosive-sniffing animal. Instead, persistence, intelligence and obedience are musts.

Beau trains every morning on the job, sniffing out chemicals only a dog's nose can detect and receiving food treats as his reward. At night he must recover another chemical-sprayed 'toy' before he gets to indulge in his IAMS chow meal.

Off-duty, Beau is a regular house pet who lives with Rollison, his wife, Tiffani, their two cats and two ferrets. In addition to his live companions, Beau has lots of playthings: a big red ball, ropes and squeaky toys. "Almost every day, he goes swimming in the bay next to our house in New Jersey." Rollison says. "Beau so loves the water!"

-- Claudia Carlin