New West pup goes from chasing toys to chasing votes

More naps and more time outside are just two of the things a local pup is promising in his “pawlitical” platform.

Two-year-old Chopper has been busy striking up conversation in Sapperton, and it’s not just because he’s cute.

The Bernedoodle has been drawing attention to the upcoming municipal election with a mayoral campaign of his own; posters and YouTube videos of the pup have been making the rounds.

You could say Chopper’s aspirations for New West are fairly simple: he loves music, believes that a good nap can fix anything, and thinks snowy days and beautiful sunsets are fantastic. As for why he’s barking up the ballot box, Chopper felt it was all about representation.

“[Chopper] says that he didn’t feel like the canine percentage to the population was fully supported,” explains Andrew Riddell, Chopper’s owner and campaign manager. “[He’s got] ideas to increase green spaces, for example more dog parks.” Chopper is also big on long walks (of course) hoping people will choose to leave their cars at home in favour of heading outside with pets—or without—instead.

While Riddell speaks for Chopper for obvious reasons, it was actually Riddell’s 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, who came up with the idea to have Chopper run for mayor. Along with producing video, she’s also put together the posters for the campaign. She couldn’t be more thrilled with the reaction she’s been getting from friends, neighbours, and other locals.

“[We’re getting a lot of] love!” Amelia says of the feedback. Riddell agrees. “[Chopper’s] been happy that people are tuning in, and he’s working on more stuff for the upcoming future. He’s been busy between scratching and sleeping and other stuff.”

Even with a full schedule, the canine candidate is glad to see people are using his campaign to talk about the Oct. 15 election—whether they’re voting age or not.

“I went out with Chopper first thing this morning, and there was a walking school bus of kids, and they all greeted him. They knew he was going for mayor, and [were] giving him positive feedback,” says Riddell, who agrees this has been a fun way to get people engaged in local politics.

“That was Chopper’s idea, if the other candidates get a little worried that there’s a dog [running]—I mean, he’s already won on popularity.”

While Chopper’s name won’t be on the official ballot—next to the likes of Chuck Puchmayr, Patrick Johnstone, and Ken Armstrong—he believes there is a place for pets when it comes to local level democracy.

“Chopper loves everyone,” says Riddell, “he sees everyone and everything as an opportunity [for change]...imagine, just imagine, the progress we can make if we were unburdened like that.”