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There's a new top dog in Littleton, Colorado, and his name is Murdoch. The news caught newly-elected Mayor Kyle Schlachter off-guard.
"They didn't ask me about it," he told KMGH this week. Schlater was just a few days into his term when he realized that the 5-year-old basset hound will be serving alongside him as honorary dog mayor.
"He's a lover of people," owner Beverly Pillow said about Mayor Murdoch. "And he loves to give big slobbery kisses." Luckily, he's trained the lucky pet to shake hands with his constituents when he goes on his daily walks.
"That's the only trick he knows," she added.
Just like the actual mayor position, Littleton residents had to vote for their dog mayor. KMGH says 6,000 votes came in, and Murdoch came out on top. It's also part of an initiative to bring attention to historic preservation within the city, according to Katherine Roxborough of Historic Littleton Inc.
"We weren't electing a human," she told the news station. "The candidates were of the canine sort. We wanted to heighten awareness."
When reporters asked Mayor Schlachter if he was ever worried about this canine counterpart, he said, "I feel confident. Thankfully, this new dog only has a two-year term. I have a four-year term."