Beagle who was kicked by traveler is back to work at the airport. See the video.

A 5-year-old patrol beagle is back on the beat after recovering from bruises received when a traveler kicked him so hard the dog went airborne.

Freddie, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog, returned to work Thursday, July 10, at Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. He one of the CBP's Beagles Brigade, which screens passengers and cargo at more than 180 airports, border crossings and other sites to prevent harmful pests and diseases from entering the United States.

Back on June 24, Freddie and his handler, CBP agricultural specialist Melissa Snyder were inspecting baggage arriving from Cairo, Egypt when a suitcase caught Freddie's attention.

When Snyder began questioning the suitcase owner, "he violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift the 25-pound beagle off the ground," the CBP said in a news release at the time.

Subsequently found in the baggage and seized: 55 pounds of beef, 44 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of eggplant, cucumbers, and bell peppers, two pounds of corn seeds, and a pound of herbs.

Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents, the agency said. Marie pleaded guilty to willfully and maliciously harming a police animal in federal court. He was given one year of probation and ordered to pay $840 as restitution for Freddie's medical and veterinary care.

“Being caught deliberately smuggling well over one hundred pounds of undeclared and prohibited agriculture products does not give one permission to violently assault a defenseless Customs and Border Protection beagle,” said Christine Waugh, CBP’s area port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., in a statement.

“We rely heavily on our K9 partners and Freddie was just doing his job," Waugh said. "Any malicious attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and CBP will continue to work with our investigating and prosecuting partners to deal swift and severe justice to perpetrators.”

A veterinarian found Freddie had suffered contusions to his right forward rib area, the CBP said.

Freddie, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog, returned to work July 10 after being off several weeks when he suffered contusions from being kicked by a traveler.

News about Freddie's story led to many to contact CBP with interest in donating to help him. Matthew Suarez, the CBP’s acting director of field operations in Baltimore, urged the public to donate money or time to animal shelters in a post on social media platform X. All the dogs considered for CBP training are either adopted from U.S. rescue shelters or donated privately.

In video footage of his first day back on the job, Freddie behaves confidently, assessing the airport terminal happenings, rising on his hind legs to sniff a mountain of luggage and happily snarfing a treat.

It's not Freddie's first time on camera. He and officer Snyder appeared in a profile photo and several videos earlier this year on the CBP Facebook page.

"His handler says your support has made a world of difference," on Freddie's recovery, the agency said in a video posted July 8.

Several fans posted comments wondering about Freddie's condition and sending him healing compliments. "Get well Freddy. You deserve a medal and a large number of pup cups," one wrote.

Contributing: Mike Fant, USA TODAY

Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beagle who was kicked by traveler is back to work at the airport. See the video.