Murfee (born August 15, 2016) is a male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and was the second animal to be elected to the honorary office of mayor in the town of Fair Haven, Vermont on March 3, 2020.[1][2] Murfee was born in Oregon in 2016 and was bought by his current owners, Linda and Ray Barker of Fair Haven, Vermont that year.[3] In the fall of 2017, Murfee became a certified therapy dog. He has also earned AKC titles as a Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen.[3] He was re-elected for a second term on March 3, 2021.[4]
Murfee | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont | |
| In office March 3, 2020 – 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lincoln |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Murfee August 15, 2016 Salem, Oregon, U.S. |
| Website | murfee |
Work as a therapy dog
editImmediately following his certification as a therapy dog in 2017, Murfee worked with Caring Canines Therapy Dogs of Southern Vermont, Inc., where his owner, Linda Barker, is president.[5] This included visits to hospitals, residential and outpatient care facilities, schools, colleges and universities throughout southern Vermont. According to his website, he estimates he spends roughly 10 hours a week doing such work.[3]
2020 mayoral race and publicity
editOn January 31, 2020, Murfee's candidacy was announced on the Fair Haven Police Department Facebook page.[6] The next day, the story was picked up at a national level by CNN which ran the first national story covering the election.[7] His public profile grew over the next month with articles published outside the United States on Index.hr in Croatia[8] and Notícias ao Minuto in Portugal.[9]
After Murfee was elected mayor, national level publicity intensified with segments airing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[10] and The Today Show.[11] Numerous articles ran nationwide and internationally, including an appearance in the June 29, 2020 issue of People.[3]
Mayoral term and goals
editThe purpose of the honorary mayoral office is to raise funds for a playground in the town of Fair Haven. To that end, Murfee has a website, a GoFundMe page and a Facebook account. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murfee has taken donations for hundreds of handmade face-masks.[3] On January 8, 2021, it was announced that the playground had been successfully funded and that Murfee would turn his attention to fundraising for the construction of a dog park in the town.[3][12]
References
edit- ^ Guzman, Francisco; Ahmed, Saeed (March 4, 2020). "And the winner of the mayoral race in Fair Haven, Vermont, is ... a therapy dog". CNN. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Murfee, el perro asistente de terapia elegido como alcalde en un pueblo de EE. UU" [Murfee the therapy dog chosen as mayor in a US town]. La República (in Spanish). March 5, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Official Site - Story, retrieved June 20, 2020
- ^ Lyons, Olivia (3 March 2021). "Fair Haven pet mayor election goes to the dogs". www.wcax.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ Caring Canines Therapy Dogs of Southern Vermont, Inc., retrieved June 20, 2020
- ^ "Third Party Candidate Announces election bid for Mayor". Facebook. January 31, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Higgins, Cole (March 4, 2020). "The candidates for mayor in this Vermont town: two dogs and a goat". CNN. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Higgins, Cole (March 4, 2020). "U ovom gradu kandidati za gradonačelnika su dva psa i koza" [In this city, the candidates for mayor are two dogs and a goat]. Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Disputa a quatro patas: Um bode e dois cães na corrida a mayor nos EUA" [Four-legged dispute: A goat and two dogs in the mayor race in the USA]. Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Stephen Colbert (March 6, 2020). Meanwhile... CBS. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Vermont dog wants to be mayor. NBC. April 6, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Vermont pet mayor helps raises money for dog park". NEWS10 ABC. 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2021-04-19.