Va. Community Elects Dog as President

Apathetic neighbors in Annandale, Va., blindly elected president's pooch
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 20, 2011 9:45 AM CST
Annandale, Va., Elects Wheaten Terrier Beatha Lee President of Neighborhood Board
A Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, much like the one elected to the Hillbrook-Tall Oaks Civic Association in Annandale, Va.   (Getty Images)

The new president of the Annandale, Va., neighborhood association is causing a firestorm of controversy: Seems the good neighbors blindly elected Beatha Lee, described as a new resident with experience running a 26-acre estate. The good Ms. Beatha, however, is a Wheaten terrier, reports the Washington Post, and not everyone's thrilled: "She had a name," says one longtime resident. "It wasn't Spot or Rover. I'm embarrassed."

Beatha's owner, Mark Crawford, is the past president who, unable to find one single neighbor to run for his term-limited job, put his dog up: "We wanted to send a message to the neighborhood that they needed to get involved." Meanwhile, Crawford serves as Beatta's VP, and "she delegates a lot," he says. At monthly meetings, "She's sometimes sitting under the table, listening to what goes on," says one member. "Until she gets bored and wants to be let out." As for the neighborhood, if no one steps up, "maybe we'll get a cat this time," guesses a resident. (More Wheaten terrier stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X