Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

Austin Elects Its First Ever Dog Mayor

A pug Chihuahua mix named Mo Bamba has made history by becoming the first dog ever elected mayor of 37th Street near Hyde Park in Austin, breaking a cat dynasty that had ruled for four years. The adorable rescue dog with a snaggle tooth won the heated election after more than 12,000 ballots were cast, more than double the turnout from previous years, in a race that started as a way to increase voter engagement during Austin’s human mayoral election. Mo Bamba’s parents rescued him as a puppy from Round Rock when he had parvo, and now the three year old spends his days playing fetch in his yard, which made him highly visible to the thousands of visitors who came to see the famous 37th Street Lights holiday display. His campaign manager Spencer Schumacher celebrated the victory by declaring that Mo Bamba had broken the glass ceiling and ended the cats’ tyrannical hold on the mayorship.

The election was particularly contentious this year, with campaign posters plastering the street and multiple allegations of voter fraud against Mo Bamba that his campaign firmly denied before organizers certified the results. The outgoing mayor, an orange cat named Zapp who had served two terms, graciously conceded and said he looked forward to retirement sleeping on the porch for 12 to 18 hours at a time. Mo Bamba has ambitious plans for his term including installing fire hydrants at every house and giving government contracts to people who play fetch, while his main campaign slogan promised he won’t just fight for you, he will bark at you. The 37th Street mayoral position comes with real responsibilities like looking at birds, owls, squirrels, and sometimes mice, but most importantly keeping the beloved Christmas lights free forever for all residents and visitors to enjoy.

Source: https://www.kut.org/austin/2026-01-13/austin-tx-37th-street-lights-animal-mayor-election

PrevPreviousNurses Create Most Romantic Hospital Anniversary
NextFamous Flight Team Gets Historic New LeaderNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

For The First Time In History Medicare Is Covering Weight Loss Drugs And The Price Is $50 A Month

May 14, 2026

Starting July 1, 2026 eligible Medicare enrollees will be able to access GLP-1 weight loss medications including Wegovy, Zepbound, and the newer drug Foundayo for a flat $50 monthly copay, in a historic first for the program, which has never before covered anti-obesity medications despite covering many of the serious

Read More
Happy News

Swedish Scientists Just Grew The Cells Type 1 Diabetes Destroys From Scratch

May 13, 2026

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have developed a more reliable method for growing insulin-producing cells from human stem cells, and the results published in Stem Cell Reports represent one of the most encouraging steps yet toward a potential treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Read More
Happy News

New Research Reveals The Personality Trait That Predicts Whether You Will Seek Out A Cat When Stressed

May 12, 2026

A study published in the journal Anthrozoös, conducted by researchers at Washington State University and KU Leuven in Belgium, has identified the personality trait most likely to predict whether someone will seek out a cat for stress relief rather than a dog, and the answer has a name: emotionality. Researchers

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.