Small Kentucky Town Of Rabbit Hash Elects A Pitbull As Mayor

Small towns have a feel about them that just can’t be matched by larger cities – especially the closeness of community, mom and pop businesses, and the feeling of “going back in time” when you’re there after living somewhere else. The small Kentucky town of Rabbit Hash is exactly this kind of small town, and because of the fact that their town is so small and needs little governance, they have made it a habit of electing dogs as the mayor of their town. In fact, Brynneth Pawltro the pitbull is the fourth dog to take office in the small town since the 1990s.

What started as a fundraiser they only intended to do once has turned into a tradition for the little town. Every four years the town elects a new mayor, and for most of the last two decades, each election has put a dog in office. Each vote in the election costs $1, and you can vote as many times as you like – the person or animal with the most votes will then be officially elected the new mayor of Rabbit Hash for the next four years. This year Brynneth Pawltro beat out a cat, a chicken, and a donkey for the local political office.

The money collected in the fundraiser usually goes to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society and towards general town improvements and preservation efforts. For such a small town, this is a big fundraising effort that is essential to keeping things in working order – and clearly, it’s working because they’ve continued the tradition for nearly 20 years now. This year how, ver, the funds raised by the town election will be paying for repairs to the town’s general store, which burned down in an electrical fire and has since been struggling to get fully up and running again.

Brynn the pitbull will be taking over for Lucy Lou, the border collie that won the last election in 2012, and according to her owner, ran on the platform of “peace, love, and understanding” as her and her owner are advocates for the pitbull breed. It’s the beginning of a new reign in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, and Brynneth Pawltro has the opportunity as mayor to help clear the name of pitbulls, a breed that is often considered aggressive and has been banned in many communities and cities throughout the U.S.

To meet Brynneth and see what citizens of Rabbit Hash think of their new mayor, watch the video below!

[Featured Image by Timothy D. Easley/AP Images]