Java, a 5-year-old black Labrador from Missouri, has a new title to go with her nickname: world's fastest clothespin hanger. Guinness World Records confirmed this week that the dog placed eight pegs on a washing line in one minute, setting the record for most clothespins hung on a line by a dog.
Java's owner, Lisa Rickards, 46, a professional dog trainer, staged the attempt in Kansas City earlier this year, with Java trotting along a low line and clipping one peg after another with her mouth. Guinness verified the eight-peg run before announcing the record this week, according to UPI.
A career change that paid off
Java was originally bred and raised as a trainee service dog for Canine Companions, the assistance-dog nonprofit, with Rickards fostering her through roughly 18 months of advanced training. "She went on to advanced training, but ultimately she was determined not to be a good fit for the program," Rickards told Guinness. Rather than returning Java to the program, Rickards adopted her and redirected her energy into canine sports and trick training — a pivot that has now produced a Guinness title.
"I joke that Java is fully caffeinated and absolutely lives up to her name," Rickards said of her high-energy pet.
The record adds Java to a growing roster of trained dogs chasing Guinness titles this year, part of a steady stream of animal attempts the organization certifies year-round rather than only around its annual Guinness World Records Day later this month. For a dog once deemed not quite right for formal service work, it's a tidy second act — equal parts obedience and showmanship, one clothespin at a time.