It was a close race, but on Election Day, Rabbit Hash, Kentucky elected its new mayor…a 6-month-old French bulldog named Wilbur Beast.
On Election Day the win was announced by Lady Stone, a border collie who is the small town’s ambassador.
“The results are in from the most important election that happened this year!!” Lady Stone wrote on social media. She made sure to thank every candidate for helping to preserve “this historic town for years to come.”
Wilbur will take over the mayorship from Brynneth Pawltro, a pit bull that was elected back in 2016. Pawltro has not spoken to the media about his loss.
Mayor Wilbur has a human named Amy Noland that will make sure he gets everywhere that he needs to be. Noland, 43, attributes Wilbur’s win to his fierce outreach strategy this election cycle.
“He’s done a lot of campaigning,” Noland says. “He’s been all over social media, and he hosted a lot of events.”
Wilbur ran on the platforms of mental health and breast cancer awareness. Noland’s 65-year-old mother is a breast cancer survivor.
Rabbit Hash is located in Boone County. It has a population of 315 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The small community’s mayorship has gone to the dogs since 1988. The first dog mayor was Goofy Bonerman, who sadly died before his 4-year term was up.
The mayoral election is a fundraiser for Rabbit Hash. The 3.5-acre town is maintained by the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. Anyone around the world is permitted to vote in the election and each ballot costs $1 and all proceeds go to maintaining the town.
Noland says that entering a dog in the mayoral race was part of her “bucket list.”
“I live just a few miles outside of Rabbit Hash,” Noland told CNN. “It’s a special town, and I’ve been going since I was a child.”
In order to qualify to run for mayor, a candidate must live within an hour walking distance from town.
Noland shares that Wilbur’s victory has brought them national attention. She says Wilbur’s story is so popular because unlike a lot of current news is a feel-good story.
“I’ve gotten so many messages with people thanking me, and you can tell that this is something that’s really positive for people to hear,” Noland said. “It all just feels good.”
Wilbur received more votes than any other canine candidate. He won with 13,143 votes out of the 22,985 casts. The election raised $22,985.00 for the town.
Speaking of dogs, Joe Biden is bringing back a beloved tradition to the White House. Joe and Jill Biden will bring to the White House two of the cutest “paw-licy advisors” you’ll ever see…two German Shepherds, Major and Champ.
The German Shepherd’s presence in the White House will revive a presidential tradition that goes all the way back to George Washington. The White House was pet-free throughout Trump’s 4 years in office. It was one of several traditions Trump broke including not releasing his taxes.
The Biden’s brought Champ into the family in 2008 after Jill gave the beautiful dog to Joe as a gift.
Jill Biden purchased Champ from a Pennsylvania breeder and at the time received some criticism for not rescuing a dog.
The Biden’s made the decision to adopt Major in 2018 after their daughter, Ashley sent them a photo of Major from the Delaware Humane Association. Once they met Major it was love at first bark.
The Delaware Humane Association, a rescue organization, shared the news of Major’s adoption by the Biden family to its Facebook page.
Thirty presidents have brought pets to the White House with them. The tradition began with our country’s first president, George Washington. Donald Trump refused to join in the tradition and has never owned a pet.
Biden tweeted out a video of Trump at a rally asking, “How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?…I don’t feel good,” accompanied by the comment, “Let’s put dogs back in the White House,” and “Champ and Major for DOTUS.”
Let’s put dogs back in the White House. pic.twitter.com/7pBihksfXT
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 1, 2020
Kamala Harris, who is the vice president-elect, does not have a dog but shares that she is pro-canine. Back in 2019, she tweeted an adorable collage of dogs who have come to her office for a visit.
Having dogs in the White House will just be one more step back toward normalcy as the Trump family exits the White House, which apparently can’t come quick enough judging by the reactions lately on social media.
