A pony as mayor, a dog as manager – 8 animals in important positions

We recently reported on Patrick the pony who became mayor of the English village of Cockington. The reactions to the incredible story were not long in coming. Understandable. However, it was more than we expected.

But now our editorial staff is slowly creeping into fear that other municipalities and neighborhoods might contact us because their animal officials should not experience the same appreciation. To counter this, we decided to write a follow-up story. In fact, some animals have been in office for so long that they more than deserve a decent mention. Here they come, animals that do very well.

Allow me, Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, or Mayor Max II for short. He served as acting mayor of Idyllwild, California, for nine years. The only thing that kept him from running for re-election was his death in July 2022.

“How proud can a dog be?”

Mayor Max II: “Yes!”

Since Idyllwild is not an independent municipality, there was no official administration – a great advantage for Major Max II’s career. The residents decided to nominate animals from the city as candidates for a non-profit animal rescue organization. After one of the most famous animal mayors in the world, Max the First, passed away in 2013, Major Max II replaced him for another nine years. After his death – you guessed it – Max de Derde took over the office.

The train station in Kishigawa, Japan had a very special station master, Tama the cat. She got her job after the last human station master lost his job. It must save the railway company from ruin. Mission accomplished!

The cat became a celebrity with a hat and official title, and the railway to his station experienced a second spring. Thousands of people used the line again and provided the corresponding income. So successful that Tama was later named Vice President of the company.

After her death, she was appointed perpetual stationmaster. This was announced at her funeral service, which was attended by more than 3,000 people. In addition, a 50-day mourning period was held and Tama was declared a deity in a ceremony. You too?

In Japan, there is a Shiba Inu (dog breed) that runs a kiosk. It achieved such cult status that it has become a tourist attraction. Payment is made by … also just watch the video:

Okay, we already had a dog as mayor in this story. Yet Duke, who served as honorary mayor of Cormorant, a township in the US state of Minnesota, from 2014 to 2018, has one peculiarity: he triumphed over human competitors.

Thanks to his 12 (TWELVE!) votes received, Duke managed to defeat his human opponents by a huge majority. These received only two or three votes. He was subsequently re-elected three more times. He did not appear for a fourth term.

In payment, Duke received a year’s supply of dog food for each of his one-year terms. You can tell by his facial expression:

It is not known whether Lincoln always dreamed of becoming mayor. The fact is that he was allowed to take over the office for a year. He was elected in 2019 in a city of 2500 in Vermont, USA. Although the turnout was low at 53 votes (13 for Lincoln), he still had to prevail against 15 other candidates. Including even against the locally known (editor’s assumption) gerbil Crystal.

The idea for animal choice came from city manager (=actually just another name for “mayor”) Joseph Gunter. With the action he wanted to raise money for the construction of a playground. We also raised $100… We don’t know if Gunter was re-elected after that.

Another dog that has made it into the mayor’s office is the French bulldog Wilbur Beast. He was elected in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky with 13,143 of 22,985 votes.

He won the most people with election promises such as “be kind to cats” and “be able to sleep with half-open eyes”. His main credo: «teaching people peace in politics; to unite the world, city by city, starting with Rabbit Hash, Kentucky».

Here’s the detailed story:

A true veteran was Kater Stubbs, who served the town of Talkeetna, Alaska for nearly two decades from 1998 to 2017. Only through his death was he able to leave the office of honorary mayor.

Even though Stubbs is in the picture just like everyone else in it person Cat acting, he had anything but a quiet life. Among other things, he was shot at, fell into a (fortunately) cold fryer, was almost bitten to death by a dog and even ended up in a garbage truck. He was also on the cover of the Wall Street Journal in 2013 (read here).

He died in July 2017 at the age of 20 years and three months. Compared to a human, that is about 93 years.

Of course, Watson also has an animal line. Otherwise, this pile of dogs would barely hold together. Although there are several dogs in the office, Genna’s experience makes her the longest-serving dog and the undisputed CEO.

With her presence she ensures the necessary peace and order in the office. She also warns all employees with her grunt, just before Mo enters the office. An act of solidarity that probably saved some of us from getting fired.

Little or nothing is known about her private life. In the office she is all the more self-sacrificing.