Congratulations to the newly elected mayor of Divide, Colo., a bloodhound named Pa Kettle.

Bloodhound Elected Mayor

The search-and-rescue dog beat out Kenyi the wolf, Zack the therapy dog, Cider the lab retriever, Millie the dog, Buster the cat, Blackberry the hedgehog, Lily the spaniel, Grace the mustang, Teddy the dog and Herbie the donkey to secure the title of Mayor of Divide.

Pa Kettle won the race with a total of 2,387 votes, and Kenyi the wolf, who placed second in the race, has been named vice-mayor, with third place Buster the cat being named the viceroy. Pa Kettle, Kenyi and Buster will be inaugurated on April 19, kicking Walter the three-legged cat out of office.

Pet Mayor Raises Money For Divide, Colo., Animal Shelter

The mayoral election was a fundraiser for Divide’s local no-kill animal shelter, the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter – the town of Divide does not have a mayor. Voters paid one dollar per vote to participate in the election – open nationwide – with all proceeds going to the shelter.

The race was heated, with pet owners campaigning in person and over social media sites. Pa Kettle’s owner, Janet Bennett, used Facebook to boost her dog’s political profile.

“Not only does Pa want to win, he should win,” Bennett told The Gazette. “But it’s for a really good cause and we want to raise the most we can raise for TCRAS.”

Bennett joked before the voting ended that her dog had everything he needs to be a strong politician, saying, “He is the only candidate that has a real job. And he is the only candidate that has a last name and a verifiable birth certificate, which I don’t think the others do…and it’s important. He’s running as an independent.”

Pa Kettle was declared the winner on Wednesday, April 9, with over 9,000 votes cast in the election.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong