Jack the Labrador Retriever Is L.A. County’s Canine Champion of Democracy

Election season brings many jobs most people never think about, and in Los Angeles County, one of the most important belongs to a yellow Labrador retriever named Jack. As Los Angeles County counts ballots this week for the 2026 midterm elections, Jack is on duty at the processing center in the City of Industry, giving incoming mail-in and drop-box ballots a thorough sniff before anyone else handles them. This is Jack’s third election working the ballot-counting process, and he’s clearly settled into the role of the county’s most important four-legged employee.

Jack isn’t the only one on the job either. He’s one of two specially trained dogs Los Angeles County uses to screen ballots for harmful substances, alongside a fellow Labrador named Tito. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides and handles both dogs, and their job is simple but essential: catch anything dangerous before it reaches a human election worker.

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Jack Is Part of a Growing Canine Workforce Protecting Elections

Jack and Tito aren’t the only dogs doing this kind of work. Canine teams trained to detect harmful substances in ballots and mail have become part of election security in jurisdictions across the country, giving officials an extra layer of protection as threats against election workers have become an unfortunate reality in recent years. These dogs are trained the same way bomb- and narcotics-detection dogs are, using their extraordinarily sensitive noses to flag suspicious powders or chemicals long before a person would ever notice something is wrong.

For the humans who spend long hours processing ballots, that kind of warning can make all the difference. A dog like Jack can clear a stack of mail in seconds, giving election workers peace of mind that their workplace, at least for that batch of ballots, is safe.

A Dog’s Nose Doing Important Work for Democracy

Gina Ferazzi / Getty Images

It’s easy to think of working dogs as limited to police departments, airports, or search-and-rescue teams, but Jack’s job reminds us that a well-trained nose can serve democracy, too. While most dogs spend their days waiting for a walk or a treat, Jack spends his days clocked into one of the more unusual, yet vital, jobs a Labrador can have.

As ballots continue to roll in and get counted in Los Angeles County, Jack will keep doing what he does best: putting his nose to work so the humans around him can do theirs safely. It’s a good reminder that sometimes the most reliable election safeguards come with four legs, a wagging tail, and an excellent sense of smell.

Related: This Golden Retriever Knows How to Get Extra Treats, and Your Pup Probably Agrees

This story was originally published by Paw Nation on Nov 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paw Nation as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Nature