Animals with Jobs

As the saying goes, every dog has his day. But in Sunol, a sleepy rural community between Fremont and Pleasanton, one particular dog has a legacy.

Running as a “Re-pup-lican” with the campaign slogan “A bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant on every corner,” Bosco’s unconventional platform suited Sunol’s eccentricities.

“Everyone knew Bosco, so he just became a write-in candidate and he won all the votes,” Rogers said. “It was pretty much a landslide.” And, Rogers added, “he was the best mayor we ever had.”

It wasn’t long before the spotlight became an international incident. In 1990, China’s People’s Daily newspaper ran an editorial attacking Bosco’s election as proof that in Western democracy “there is no distinction between people and dogs.”

In response, a group of Chinese students wanted to adopt Bosco and take him to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco — as a mascot for freedom. Stillman agreed, and Bosco and the students piled into an El Camino and drove to the consulate, holding a pro-democracy rally with dog in tow.

“I don’t know what they were saying; I can only imagine,” Stillman said. “I don’t know if he changed the world or anything, but he became a symbol for democracy.”

Whenever Bosco went missing, as he occasionally did, the search resembled a manhunt. But Stillman was never too concerned; Bosco habitually followed folks wherever they went. Then there were his “multiple trysts.”

“There used to be a joke that he was related to every dog in town,” Stillman said.

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