Few things are more amusing on campaign tours than watching the police sniffer dog each time all the people traveling with the Prime Minister need to board the campaign jet.

The RCMP take no chances with security — even though everyone's been pre-screened and wears a pass. So when everybody's out on the tarmac ready to board, all the carry-on luggage has to be lined up in a row on the ground and a police dog (usually an eager, fit and handsome German Shepherd) excitedly bounds along the bags, happily sniffing cameras, lighting kits, audio gear, laptops — you name it, all in the name of ensuring no one is bringing a bomb on board.

But typically — since this crowd is generally law-abiding — the dog never zeroes in on anything.

Not so this week.

At the Vancouver airport yesterday, something caught its nose. And when it reached a carton placed on the tarmac by CBC soundman Danny Leduc, the dog went crazy — sniffing madly, snorting its schnoz into the box, seemingly thrilled that all those years of training had finally paid off.

The RCMP asked Danny to open the carton and the dog goes straight for a plastic yellow Sony videotape box. Danny then opens it up for RCMP. Inside? Merely a standard video cartridge.

Still, as everyone boarded — crisis over — it was clear there must be something stinky about the tape. Then Danny noticed what was written on the label: "Paul Hunter stand-up."

Aha. Nice dog.

— Paul Hunter