Ten dogs have been honored with badges from the Customs and Border Protection Canine Enforcement Training Center for successfully completing a 13-week special program.

The dogs will be used to sniff out bombs, drugs and people trying to sneak into the country.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff presented the badges. The training center is situated in Front Royal, almost 70 miles west of Washington.

"Dogs are a vital security resource," says Chertoff. "When it comes to protecting the homeland, our canine teams have proven time and time again they have a tremendous intrinsic value."

Chertoff stressed the fact that dogs are capable of detecting explosives, narcotics and even people being smuggled into the country. Customs and Border Protection officials have said that the trained dogs can check a vehicle at a national border in seconds.

The dogs are capable of carrying out thorough examinations in minutes.