SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — Barni, an explosives detection dog at San Francisco International Airport, was voted the Cutest Dog of 2024 by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The 5-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer was the winner of the TSA’s annual nationwide social media contest among four finalists, the agency said in a news release. TSA dog handlers across the country nominate the candidates, while TSA employees vote on the 87 applicants and narrow the selection down to the final four.
Barni will now be featured on the cover of the TSA’s free, downloadable 2025 monthly dog calendar, due out in December.
“Our explosive detection dogs and their handlers are an essential part of TSA’s multi-layered security approach,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to this competition every year, and the friendly competition between airports and then with the public is a great way to recognize their work to secure our transportation systems and keep travelers safe.”
The TSA said the annual competition is held on National Dog Day to recognize the important role TSA sniffer dogs play in protecting the nation’s transportation systems.
Barni works with his dog handler Michelle Cogel, who has worked for the TSA for six years and has worked as a dog handler for the last three years.
The TSA says it has over 1,000 canine teams trained at its national canine training center in San Antonio, Texas. The canine team program began in 1972 under the Federal Aviation Administration in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies. The program was transferred to the TSA after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
