A five-year-old black Labrador named Java has earned a Guinness World Records title for a skill no one expected a dog to have: hanging clothespins on a washing line.
Java, owned by Lisa Rickards of the Kansas City area, set the record for the most clothes pegs put on a washing line by a dog in one minute — eight of them. The attempt took place on 21 March 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri, and Guinness published the record announcement this week, with UPI reporting the story on 4 November.
From service training to world record
Java’s talent is not a party trick learned for the record. According to Guinness World Records, her service-dog training led to the unusual skill, and the record announcement was published on 4 November 2026. The official Guinness listing credits Lisa Rickards and Java with a total of eight pegs in Kansas City, Missouri, on 21 March 2026.
Hanging a peg sounds simple until you try it with paws. The dog must pick up a peg, carry it to the line, position it correctly, and squeeze it open — eight times in 60 seconds, without dropping the peg or the washing. Java did it cleanly enough to satisfy Guinness adjudicators, who require video evidence and independent witnesses for animal records.
A record that made the odd-news round
The story was featured on UPI’s Odd News Minute on 5 November, alongside the world’s loudest woman and a parakeet rescued from a storm drain. It is the kind of record that works because it is both impressive and faintly absurd — a dog doing a household chore better than many humans manage it.
For Rickards, the record is a bonus on top of Java’s real work. Service dogs are trained to help with everyday tasks, and hanging washing is exactly the kind of practical skill that can make a difference to an owner. Java just happens to do it faster than any dog in history.
Sources: Guinness World Records, 4 Nov 2026; UPI (Ben Hooper), 4 Nov 2026; Fostoria Free Press, 5 Nov 2026.
