The Dog Mayors
of Rabbit Hash

Mixed breed · "Dog of unknown parentage" · First Rabbit Hash canine mayor

The original. Goofy won the first-ever Rabbit Hash mayoral election in 1998 and was inaugurated to great local fanfare. His unlikely rise to power was chronicled in the documentary Rabbit Hash: The Heart of the Universe. Goofy served until his death in July 2001 at the age of 16.

Goofy established the election as a preservation fundraiser and a public-facing tradition for the community around the General Store. The office remained vacant until the next election in 2004.

Black Labrador Retriever · The People's Champion

Junior won the 2004 election after the mayoralty sat vacant for several years. His tenure was not without controversy: the Northern Kentucky Health Department banned him from entering the General Store after a visitor complained about animals inside — a ruling that enraged his loyal constituents. A petition was filed on his behalf. Junior died in office in May 2008, age 15, unbowed.

The health department incident became something of a cause célèbre — locals argued that a town where the mayor was a dog should, logically, also be a town where dogs were welcome in the General Store. The exemption request drew more attention to the unusual office and to the community's attachment to its canine mayor.

Border Collie · First female mayor · National celebrity

Lucy Lou was elected in a special August 2008 election to fill the vacancy left by Junior's passing, becoming Rabbit Hash's first female mayor. She was the town's most celebrated mayor — walking with CBS Sunday Morning's Bill Geist, accepting a $1,000 stimulus check from Reader's Digest, serving as Grand Marshall of Covington's Paw-Rade, and winning Best Elected Official in Cincinnati CityBeat three years running.

In 2015 she briefly announced a U.S. presidential exploratory campaign — a move that generated more press coverage than most actual exploratory campaigns. Her national coverage made the Rabbit Hash election familiar well beyond Northern Kentucky.

Lucy Lou was also the first Rabbit Hash mayor not to die in office. She passed away on September 10, 2018, at age 12. Her eight-year run remains the longest tenure in Rabbit Hash history.

Pit Bull · Most votes in Rabbit Hash history (at the time) · International goodwill ambassador

Brynn stormed the 2016 election, pulling massive vote totals and becoming an international sensation. Her election was covered by outlets across the globe. The election raised money toward the General Store restoration after the 2016 fire, and Brynn served through 2020.

Brynn's election carried a particular kind of symbolism. Pit bulls are among the most unfairly maligned breeds in America — the subject of breed-specific legislation, fear-based stereotyping, and endless bad press. That Rabbit Hash elected one as mayor also challenged the stereotypes attached to the breed.

French Bulldog · Record-setting 2020 vote-getter

Wilbur Beast, a French Bulldog, won the 2020 election with a staggering 13,143 votes — at the time, the most votes ever cast in a Rabbit Hash mayoral race — raising over $13,000 for the Rabbit Hash Historical Society in a single election. He served until Boone won the November 2024 election.

The 2020 Rabbit Hash election drew unprecedented national attention — partly because it coincided with one of the most anxious election cycles in American memory. Jack Rabbit the Beagle and Poppy the Golden Retriever finished second and third and became town ambassadors.