The semifinals of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 2026 Cutest Canine Contest include a sniffing pup from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) who is a teammate of last year’s national winner, Steeler, and the Final Four vote is sure to be “epic.” It’s a battle between two Labs.
TSA is encouraging the public to help select the agency’s working dog most deserving of the title of “cutest canine.”
Epic, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever from PIT, is competing against another 4-year-old Lab, Ember from Florida’s Orlando International Airport, in the second round of semifinals of the national contest that kicked off at noon EDT today. You can cast your vote between now and Wednesday, Aug. 19, at noon EDT on TSA’s social media platforms, including Instagram, X and Facebook. TSA is unleashing voting via Instagram Stories, X Poll and Facebook Stories. If Epic advances, the public can vote for him in the final round of online voting which starts at noon EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and will run for 24 hours.
“Epic has served the Pittsburgh area for approximately two years,” said his partner, Explosives Detection Canine Handler Devon Flaig. “Epic loves to chase the ball in his free time, and his favorite reward is playing with a Gappay ball. He also enjoys eating chicken jerky.”
The first bracket of TSA’s Cutest Canine Contest semifinals pitted Bolt, a German shorthaired pointer from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, against Xaro, a German shepherd from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, with voting in that round completed earlier today.
TSA will announce the winner of the 2026 Cutest Canine Contest on Wednesday, Aug. 26, National Dog Day.
TSA uses canines like Epic in its security operations nationwide, pairing these highly skilled dogs with experienced handlers. They are trained to use their keen sense of smell to detect the scent of explosives or explosive materials in busy transportation environments.
The original announcement can be found here.
