(CNN) Meet America's newest, and cutest, federal officers: a band of rescued beagles known as Chipper, Marlee, Chaze and Cardie.

Starting next week, these four will begin their careers at two of America's busiest airports, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago's O'Hare. They will join the hundreds of beagles already at work at ports of entry in the US and abroad.

Their mission: to sniff out bags carrying meat and plant products. Why? Because meats and plants can carry pests that could seriously hurt the economy.

Chipper gives his trainer a celebratory kiss at the graduation ceremony.

Joseph Chopko, who helped train these dogs, explains it this way:

You can't bring in fruits, such as apples or oranges, because they can carry fruit flies. And Mediterranean fruit flies, an invasive pest, can devastate the citrus industry.

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