This Kentucky Town Keeps Electing Dogs As Mayors – Here’s Who Won in 2024

A Tiny Town with Special Paw-litics

For over 25 years, the tiny river hamlet of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky has been putting dogs in charge.

So far, the dog mayors have been paw-sitively inspiring.

Here’s what you should know about this mayoral election, and how you can vote in this year’s race.

The Idea Was Born During Boone County’s 200th Anniversary

Back in 1997, Boone County turned 200 years old.

The county asked each town to do something special to mark the occasion. Around this time, the Rabbit Hash Historical Society also needed money to fix up an old church.

They combined the two – the church renovation and anniversary – to create a fundraiser for Rabbit Hash.

And thus the world’s greatest mayoral election began.

The Town’s First Canine Mayor Took Office in 1998

Goofy, a rescued mutt, became the inaugural dog mayor of Rabbit Hash. He’s believed to have fathered over half of the puppies in Rabbit Hash and Boone County.

The next mayor was a black lab named Junior Cochran who went on a nationwide goodwill tour on a rented tour bus to spread the story of Rabbit Hash.

A Border Collie Broke the Mayoral Glass Ceiling

Lucy Lou, a red and white border collie became the first female mayor of Rabbit Hash. Her campaign slogan was “The Bitch You Can Count On.”

She served as the mayor of Rabbit Hash from 2008 until 2016, when she stepped down to launch an unsuccessful write-in campaign for president of the United States.

Drinking Alcohol is Encouraged at the Polls

Feel free to sip on a Salty Dog (Gin or vodka with grapefruit juice and a salt-rimmed glass) while you consider who to vote for.

According to Bobbi Layne-Kayser of the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, “People are nicer with their dollars when they’ve had a few.”

Even Puppies Can Run for Office

The Rabbit Hash electoral committee doesn’t discriminate based on age.

In 2020, a 6-month-old French Bulldog named Wilbur Beast became the town’s leader. As long as the dog is paw-litically motivated, they can join the mayoral race.

In Fact, Any Animal Can Run for Mayor in Rabbit Hash

The competition for dog mayor is quite stiff since it also includes non-dog candidates.

In 2016, Higgins the Donkey and Bossy the Chicken ran against the winner, pit bull Brynneth Pawltro, and lost.

Stella the Cat has tried to get elected twice during the 2020 and 2016 elections.

There was also an unnamed possum somewhere in there. And in 2020, one human also vied for the position against 17 animal candidates.

It’s a Worldwide Election

You don’t need to live in Rabbit Hash to participate, so anyone can join the election.

People as far as Denmark and Japan have cast their ballots for Rabbit Hash’s next canine mayor.

The only requirement?

You need to pay $1 to vote, which you can do as many times as you can.

The Current Mayor is a Bluetick Coonhound

Boone, a Bluetick Coonhound, swept into office in 2024 with over 14,000 votes.

He defeated 10 candidates, including a Lab, Dogo Argentino, poodle, and German Shepherd. His amazing campaign slogan had a lot to do with it: “Stop down at noon and have a drink with Boone.”

Boone’s team raised $9,000 for riverbank protection efforts using equipment, which significantly boosted his campaign.

The Legends Behind the “Rabbit Hash” Town Name

Depending on who’s telling the tale, this peculiar name has more origin stories than the very first dog election.

Some say that the rabbits of a 19th-century doctor were allegedly stolen, and then returned to him as a dish of rabbit hash.

Another is that river travelers created a rabbit-carrot-whiskey stew that became legendary.

The most popular one goes back to an 1847 Ohio River flood.

As the residents (both people and the local rabbits) relocated to higher grounds, someone named Frank joked that they could make “rabbit hash” stew for Christmas dinner.

It’s Home to the "Best-Preserved Country Store in Kentucky"

The Rabbit Hash General Store is the heart of this small river town (since 1831). It’s been a warehouse, a post office, and a spot where the neighbors meet and get together.

In 1989, it was named Kentucky’s most well-kept old country store and added to a special list of historic places.

A fire nearly destroyed it in 2016, but townspeople worked hard to rebuild it, using as many original parts as they could to keep its National Register eligibility.

Rabbit Hash is an Amazing Day Trip

Visiting Rabbit Hash should be on any Kentucky travel bucket list.

Your #1 stop should be the Rabbit Hash General Store, then try hunting down the mayor and give him a few pats.

You could also add the Big Bone Lick State Historic Site to your itinerary.