And he’s been the mayor since 2013.
WHAT?!
So get this. The dog, known as Mayor Max II, but formally called Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II, has been the mayor of Idyllwild, California since he was first elected in 2013. And he actually started his role as mayor after taking over after the death of his predecessor, Mayor Max, another golden retriever.
No, this is not a joke!
Travel & Leisure wrote about the dog mayor, explaining what his day looks like.
“Every weekend, and some weekdays, you can find the golden retriever Mayor Max II in the back of his pickup truck, wearing a tie and sometimes a hat, barking his greetings to his constituents. He’s also sometimes eating ice cream.”
And his “human companion” aka, owner, Phyllis Mueller, answers her phone with the greeting, “Office of the mayor,” and calls herself his chief of staff.
Does it get any better than that?!
So you may be wondering what on earth is going on in Idyllwild and how a dog became mayor, right?
Well, it actually all makes a lot of sense, and it was done on purpose!
The pet for mayor tradition began 7 years ago when the town encouraged people to have their pet run for mayor. The only rules were that you had to be a local resident to enter your pet, and people could vote with their dollars — $1 per vote.
The election was promoted as an election you could buy, and people were encouraged to vote a LOT. Why? Because all of the proceeds went to Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends (ARF), an animal rescue nonprofit.
Phyllis and her husband were the owners of the original dog mayor, after writing a big check to the animal rescue nonprofit. Sadly, Mayor Max I passed away during his term.
“My heart was broken and so was the town’s,” Mueller said.
But they went on and found a new dog mayor for the town, and he’s still the mayor today.
