Reliable, friendly, and masters of one-way communication: Meet the dog mayors of America
Stephen Lam / Reuters
American politics is a dog-eat-dog world — and sometimes that means an actual dog is in office.
Small towns in California, Minnesota, Colorado, and Kentucky have all had dog mayors, and San Francisco had one for one day.
Here are the some of the country's politicians with the loudest bark.
There are dogged leaders, and then there are actual dog leaders. Across the US, we've found nine dogs who have been, or will soon be, elected mayor.
Small towns in California, Minnesota, Colorado, Kentucky, as well as San Francisco have all had dog mayors.
Mostly, the dogs are figureheads. Their elections are used to raise money for animal shelters, or for the towns. Elected dogs also tend to last a long time in office, in dog-years anyway.
While they're not as controversial as some of their peers, at least one dog leader sparked international headlines and was condemned by China as a sign of failing democracy.
Continue on to see very good dogs who have been in office in towns across the US. As we didn't want to leave any animals out, we've also included two goat mayors, and a cat mayor.
Bosco, a black Labrador-Rottweiler, was mayor of Sunol, California, from 1981 to 1994.
Gustonian Gifts / Facebook
Bosco defeated two humans to win the 1981 election, running as a "re-pup-lican" with campaign promises including: "a bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant in every corner", the Mercury News reported.
He served his town (which had about 1,000 residents) for 13 years until he died in 1994. He did go missing for a week in 1987, but ambled back in, mysteriously with two new flea collars, and was rewarded with some beef jerky.
During his tenure, China's Peoples Daily newspaper published a story about his election, calling it a failure of democracy. Later when a democracy rally about Tiananmen Square was held in San Francisco, Mayor Bosco was invited and joined in.
Lucy Lou, a border collie, was the first female mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. She served from 2008 to 2016.
Former Mayor Lucy Lou / Facebook
Lucy Lou was the first female mayor of Rabbit Hash, and ran on the campaign slogan: "the b---- you can count on". Rabbit Hash is an incorporated community and does not need a human mayor. Instead, people can pay $1 and vote as many times as they like. The fundraiser has gone toward town improvements.
The border collie stepped down from her role as mayor to run unsuccessfully for president in 2016. She died in 2018.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1039520652917702657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Lucy Lou, the former dog mayor of Rabbit Hash, has died.
She was 12 years old, and an all-around good girl. https://t.co/2gVpv1vqmc pic.twitter.com/ZSFc2Ii2lM
Brynneth Pawltro, a pit bull, succeeded Lucy Lou as mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, in 2016, beating out a cat and a donkey.
Mayor Brynn
Mayor Brynn follows a long line of animal mayors in Rabbit Hash, beginning with a dog called Goofy who was elected in 1998. A black labrador called Junior Cochran replaced Goofy, who was replaced by the border collie, Lucy Lou.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/798187564062621696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This adorable pit bull just got elected Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky! https://t.co/XrsO8Fkc6D pic.twitter.com/9Ye7mMtFFb
Max, a golden retriever, was elected mayor of Idyllwild, California, in 2013.
Mayor Max / Facebook
Max II, also known as Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, took over from another golden retriever, also called Max. The town's election is also modeled as a fundraiser for a local animal rescue nonprofit.
Max is a traveling authority, spending his weekends on the road in the back of a pickup truck, meeting constituents. He dresses sharp — always with a tie, and sometimes with a hat.
Duke, a Great Pyrenees, was first elected mayor of Cormorant Village, Minnesota, in 2014. He was reelected three times.
Richard Vogel / AP
Duke's jobs included hanging out at the local pub, appearing in parades, and keeping the "riff-raff out". He must have been doing something right. In the 2016 election, every vote cast was for him, except for one that went to his girlfriend, Lassie. He died in February 2019.
Pa Kettle, a bloodhound, was elected mayor of Divide, Colorado, in 2014.
Hot County 103.5 / Facebook
Pa Kettle won his election, beating a donkey, wolf, hedgehog, cat and many other dogs. It was a narrow victory. He only beat Kenyi, the wolf, by 55 votes. Kenyi became Pa Kettle's vice-mayor.
Frida, a female chihuahua, was mayor of San Francisco for one day in 2014.
Stephen Lam / Reuters
Frida became the most powerful dog in San Francisco in 2014. Her owner Dean Clark won the honor, when he placed the highest bid at a charity gala for the city's department of animal care and control. According to KPIX 5, once in power, Frida called for mandatory belly rubs.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/535157516284739586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
#SanFrancisco has a #dog mayor! Meet Frida, everyone! http://t.co/MPfifwfffY pic.twitter.com/KkKTc4McmD
Gus Hall was elected as mayor of Coronado, California, in 2018.
Coronado Canine Mayor Gus
More than 20,000 votes were cast, and Gus Hall secured just over half of them.
Coincidence or not, the mayor shares his name with a famous American communist who led the communist party and ran for president as leader four times.
Edgewater, a neighborhood in Chicago, could soon have its own dog mayor. It's currently holding an election, and four out of six of the contenders are dogs.
A Hairy Winston / Facebook
Candidates for the great honor include dogs Ballew, Bug, Wrigley, and Winston, a cat named Titus, and a goat named Pax.
OTHER NOTABLE ANIMAL MAYORS: Stubbs, a cat, was mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, for 20 years.
Mayor Stubbs on Facebook
Stubbs held his town with an iron paw. He was commended for never raising taxes. He could usually be found in his office in the town's general store, and every afternoon he drank his water from a wineglass with a dash of catnip.
He began to retreat from the public eye in 2015 as he got older. He died in 2017.
Lincoln, a Nubian goat, is mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont. He's the town's first mayor and was elected in 2019.
Mayor Lincoln the GOAT
Lincoln signed the paperwork to become mayor by dipping his hoof in ink and stomping upon the paper. The vote was part of a plan to raise money for a school playground.
Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1103695545959354368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Congraaaats to Lincoln, the new pet mayor of Fair Haven! It's a big job, no kidding, but you goat this. #vtpoli 🐐 https://t.co/45tlzPuOyB
Clay Henry IV, also a goat, is mayor of Lajitas, Texas. He's the fourth generation to hold office.
Matt Slocum / AP
Clay, like his forebears, likes to drink beer. The family dynasty started back in the 1980s when a man from Houston decided to run for mayor and an outraged local businessman decided to challenge him with a goat. He lost, but in the next election, Clay Henry I won. Since then every Clay Henry has been elected.
