Ann at paper bag & string blogged about Freddy, the unofficial mayor of the Village of Sharon, in Walworth County, Wisconsin.
The cat known as the mayor of Sharon, or Freddy, lives at the Village Hall, greeting folks who come to pay water or property tax bills. He meows to go out twice a day to make his rounds in the small downtown, visiting the post office, the back doors of restaurants and at least one tavern, as well as stopping to catch mice in a wooded area across from the Village Hall.
"This is his town," said Sharon Postmaster Scott Vinke. "Everyone looks out for him. If he's crossing the street, everybody stops and gives him the right of way. He's the mayor."
Wouldn't it be great to get Freddy's name on the ballot for Mayor of Chicago?
Russian PM Vladimir Putin hugs and kisses the Bulgarian Shepherd puppy that his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov presented to him in Sofia on Saturday, Nov 13.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister has a passion for canine pets and the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog is his favorite breed. He states that politicians should be like these dogs, explaining that a Bulgarian Shepherd is "faithful, strong, fights predators and bad people, and is a very good guard."
Another male puppy of Borisov's is reportedly being secretly trained as a gift for present US President Barack Obama.
In the face of international resistance to the U.S. role in resolving the global economic crisis, President Barack Obama raised his arts of persuasive communication to new heights, delivering his latest comments to the G-20 while cradling the puppy he plans to give to his daughters Sasha and Malia.
“This will be a difficult time for all citizens of our global community,” the president acknowledged. “But if you will look with me into the eyes of this achingly cute Portuguese water dog, I think you’ll find all the hope and reassurance you’ll need.”
At a press conference following Mr. Obama’s speech, a nonplussed international press corps responded with a flurry of forceful questions such as: “Can I hold him, Mr. Obama? Please, please, can I?”
One Russian journalist was particularly aggressive in her questioning: “Pretty pretty please? Can I? Can I? With … how do you say, sugar on top?”
The president-elect's family has only just narrowed down its choice for first dog to either a Portuguese water dog or a Labradoodle.
Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, in a written statement, said he supports the Portuguese pooches. He already owns two and just brought a third pup into the fold.
"I am proud to endorse the Portuguese water dog as the next First Dog of the United States," Kennedy's statement reads. "They have a can do and hopeful spirit. They are smart. They are resilient. They are determined. They are optimistic. And they are tireless. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Obama Family and the Obama Administration."
To put it in a tasteful way, a vote in Ohio is determining which White House hopeful is the pick of the litter. The ballot boxes are cat litter boxes in the 2008 ''Kitty Caucus'' being conducted by the Capital Area Humane Society in Columbus and local radio station WBNS-FM, known as Mix 97.1.
The presidential preferences of the animal shelter's feline residents are being determined by their ''votes'' dropped into a red box for Republican John McCain and a blue one for Democrat Barack Obama.
The radio station's Web site calls the Kitty Caucus ''a political movement that really counts.''
Perhaps thankfully, the site doesn't go into detail about how the votes are being counted. But it says McCain was leading Thursday by a close 50 to 49.
Just in case you're not,
new from the PoliticalShop, campaing buttons for your pet, just clip the 1 1/2" button on your pet's collar!
Schmitty, the Real New Yorkie has a lot to "bark" about with the BARK THE VOTE campaign. Doesn't matter if your candidate du jour is Obama, Hillary, or McCain. We just want everyone to "Be A Party Animal" and get all the humans in the USA to register and vote in this upcoming presidential election. Join the canine caucus. Make a difference. BARK THE VOTE.
John Woestendiek of The Baltimore Sun, in his blog, Mutts, looks at the US presidential candidates from the perspective of an animal lover.
Read which candidate is the friendliest to animals, both domesticated and wild. Speculate about who's most likely to take in a stray and who's most likely to blow away a quail, who's most likely to save a species and who's most likely to endanger one.
"How a candidate treats his dog (if he or she even has one) might be a strong indicator of how he or she will treat not just us poor lowly voters, but the non-voting animals with whom we share the world."
Terrierman has assembled a fascinating collection with photos and history of presidential pets.
The photo above is of Theodore Roosevelt, with family and "Skip," a small cross-bred feist that Roosevelt adopted while on a bear hunting trip out West.
Another interesting fact: Teddy's dog is the origin of the America Rat Terrier breed.
Ann at paper bag & string blogged about Freddy, the unofficial mayor of the Village of Sharon, in Walworth County, Wisconsin.
