Eebbers, an explosive detection dog based at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, has won the Transportation Security Administration's nationwide Cutest Canine Contest.
Woof! MSP security dog Eebbers named TSA's Cutest Canine
Eebbers has worked at MSP for nearly 10 years.
August 26, 2022 at 11:29PM
Dog lovers across the United States in recent weeks used social media to vote for the fetching 11-year-old Vizsla-Labrador mix.
"The contest was held in recognition of National Dog Day to acknowledge the important role TSA's hardworking canines play in protecting the nation's transportation system," a TSA news release read.
While TSA didn't release the vote tally, Eebbers was leading Tom-Magnum, a security dog at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, 88.3% to 11.7% on Twitter earlier this week. Preliminary voting among TSA employees narrowed a field of 92 contenders to the final four canines.
The victory means Eebbers will appear on the cover of TSA's Canine Calendar, which will be available later this year.
TSA deploys more than 1,000 canine teams nationwide to screen travelers and their belongings for explosives at security checkpoints.
Born into TSA's Puppy Program, which trains security canines, Eebbers has worked at MSP for almost 10 years. He was named in honor of 19-year-old U.S. Army Pvt. James Ebbers, of Bridgeview, Ill., who died in 2002 in Djibuoti, Africa, while assigned to the 551st Military Police Co.
Eebbers has worked security for two Super Bowls, the Special Olympics World Games, an NCAA national championship football game, the Indianapolis 500 and a NASCAR event. TSA officials said Eebbers loves swimming in Minnesota's lakes.
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