When Animals Take Office: Towns That Elected Dogs, Cats, and Even a Goat as Mayor

Animal politicians have been elected to some of the highest offices in various towns around the country. It seems strange, but for some, it works.

Most people love pets and when a furry animal is on the ballot, they ten to win. Why this trend began is a bit if a mystery, but some animals have been elected to various offices around the country, including mayor of some towns. You can be the dogs, cats, and even the goats that were elected campaigned for more grass, more walks, and more treats.

Bosco Ramos

Bosco Ramos is a Lab-Rottweiler mix and was elected to the office of mayor of Sunol, California, in 1981. This small, unincorporated town near San Francisco ran against two humans but Bosco took a strong majority, receiving 75 of the 120 votes in the election. He ran on the campaign promise to put a “bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant in every corner.” This certainly gave him the canine vote, but it’s uncertain if any felines thought he would be a good mayor.

Stubbs

Stubbs, a cat, was named the first animal politician in the tiny town of Talkeetna, Alaska, in 1997. He remained in office for twenty years until he died in 2017. Stubbs lived and worked out of his office in the town’s general store, holding the office of mayor for many years. During his tenure, Stubbs never raised taxes, which was certainly appreciated by the local residents. Stubbs enjoyed water spiked with catnip out of a wineglass, which is certainly the mayor’s right to enjoy.

Lucy Lou

A Border Collie named Lucy Lou became the unlikely mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, in 2008. This town is known for electing dogs to the mayoral office, first doing so in 1998 during a fundraiser for its historical society. After two male dogs held the office, Lucy Lou broke the gender barrier and took the office. She was replaced by a pit bull named Brynneth Pawltro, who beat out a donkey and a cat for the position. This might seem a strange tradition, but Rabbit Hash has been electing animals for a long time.

Clay Henry IV

Clay Henry IV is the fourth goat mayor of the unincorporated border town of Lajitas, Texas. The first goat to hold this position was named Clay Henry I, who was elected in 1986. Since that time, Clay Henry’s descendants have held the position of mayor in the town. Clay Henry IIV lives in a pen at the Lajitas General Store, which is a famous place for people passing through to stop and see the mayor in his environment. All the Clay Herys rose to fame for their love of drinking beer.

Sweet Girl Love

In a fantastic fundraiser, animal politicians have held the office of mayor in Eastsound, Washington, since 2009. This annual position is held by an animal, and one of the most recently elected mayors is a dog named Sweet Girl Love. Eastsound doesn’t discriminate when it comes to animals holding this position, considering an orca named Granny was elected to the role in 2015. Sweet Girl Love replaced a bearded dragon, which shows the diversity allowed during the animal elections in Eastsound.

Duke

Duke sounds like a fitting name for an animal politician, and a Great Pyrenees named Duke was the mayor of Cormorant, Village, Minnesota, from 2014 to 2019. Duke was a part-time farm dog and was elected via write-in votes. He was continuously re-elected in a landslide every year until he died in 2019. In 2016, Duke received every vote except one, which went to his girlfriend, Lassie. Duke was obviously an extremely popular mayor, he appeared in many parades and ceremonies where he was celebrated. He wore an official top hat.

Lincoln

The first pet mayor of Fairhaven, Vermont was a goat named Lincoln. Each year, the town has a new election and another goat named Linda won the race in 2020. The first dog mayor of the town then took over in 2021, when a dog named Murfee won the race. After Murfee, another goat, named Elsa was elected in 2022. The students at a local elementary school care for the pet mayors and many kids get to vote in these elections alongside the adults.

Animal politicians might seem strange, but many towns elect pets and animals to honorary roles as mayors of their towns. These events are a lot of fun and make for great fundraisers. This is one type of politics that most people can support and enjoy.