Washington DC - Eight-year-old explosive detection dog Messi was given a special surprise farewell party from his human colleagues at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on his last day of work.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the special event in a press release shared Friday.

Together with other dog handlers and invited guests, Messi first had to search a bag in a large room.

Suddenly, employees showered the labrador retriever with a sea of tennis balls!

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According to the TSA, the dog loved to romp around with the sports equipment after a stressful day at work.

The ball pool clearly thrilled Messi, as a video published on X shows.

Finally, dog handler Peter removed the "Do not pet" sticker from the retired four-legged friend's harness – and released him to finally get some pets!

According to the TSA, the guests at the farewell party did not miss this. Now "Messi" can live with Peter and enjoy his retirement.

The TSA has more than 1,000 canine handler teams deployed for security and screening operations. These teams screen passengers and all areas in and around the terminals to detect any threats.