Dogs in politics
Another Canadian election is on the horizon! We hope that all that are eligible are registered to vote. Elections can be stressful at times and it can be difficult to decide on the best candidates. It begs the question, what if a dog was the leader of our country? It would probably end in chaos but they would sure look cute! In some regions, dogs do actually play a (not so critical) role in politics. Let’s check them out!
Mayor of a whole town
Sometimes doggo political candidates are just better than the human ones. That’s what a number of towns in the US think anyway. There have been multiple dog mayors throughout the United States. The first being a Lab-Rottweiler mix named Bosco Ramos. Bosco was elected honorary mayor of Sunol, California and served from 1981 until his death in 1994. He must have done a good job because in 2009, a statue was erected in Bosco’s honour.
California must be a very dog friendly state because there is another town in the golden state that has a dog mayor for life! Idyllwild California is an unincorporated area which means that it is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Therefore, they can have a dog call all the shots. In 2012, Max a Golden Retriever became the first dog mayor of Idyllwild. His reign was so great that when the original Max passed away, Max II, another Golden Retriever became his successor.
There have been other towns across the US who have also had canine mayors, including Rabbit Hash, Kentucky (whose mayors have all been dogs) and Duke a Great Pyrenees from Cormorant Minnesota.
Dogs in the White House
An impressive 26 presidents have had dogs join them in the white house. The first ever presidential dogs were Sweetlips, Scentwell and Vulcan, American Fox Hounds owned by George Washington himself. Currently there are 2 dogs calling the white house home. Champ and Major are President Joe Biden’s German Shepherds. Sadly, Champ passed away in June of this year but Major carries on his legacy as one of the rescue adoptee in the white house.
Royal canines
For centuries dogs have been giving advice and companionship to royal rulers.Some of the most famous are Marie Antoinette's Pug, Mops, Mary, Queen Of Scots' Malteses, Alexander The Great's Dog, Peritas, Catherine The Great's Italian Greyhound, Zemira, Queen Victoria's Pomeranian, Turi, among others. As a result of their social status, these royal dogs were often treated better than most of their subjects and were spoiled as lavishly as their owners.
