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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Let’s just get this out of the way: There are other matters of consequence going on in the world. But in these fractious times, a series of puppy photos sent by none other than the fun-loving scamps at the Central Intelligence Agency qualifies as a feel-good, stick-it-to-the-man moment, shared by thousands of people who are marooned in office jobs. Meet Lulu, the black Labrador retriever and free spirit who bucked expectations and flunked out of the C.I.A.’s explosive detection “puppy class.” Maybe it was her shiny coat that made Lulu’s story ricochet around the internet. Maybe it was her soft brown eyes. Or maybe her story just sounds familiar to any American who has experienced workplace ennui: She underwent rigorous training for a daily grind job and decided that sniffing out bombs was not her calling. (And who actually wants that job, anyway?) The photos were a rare attempt at a cutesy moment from a secretive agency better known for much darker stories. The number of C.I.A. personnel killed in Afghanistan now rivals the number of agency operatives who died in the wars in Vietnam and Laos decades ago. The agency has pushed for extended powers to carry out covert drone strikes in active war zones. So even the course load for its bomb dogs is high-stakes and rigorous. “A few weeks into training, Lulu began to show signs that she wasn’t interested in detecting explosive odors,” read a statement on the C.I.A. website. “Usually it lasts for a day, mayb... Link to the full article to read more