Murfee facts for kids

Murfee is a friendly male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel born on August 15, 2016. He became famous as the second animal to be elected as an honorary mayor in Fair Haven, Vermont. This special election happened on March 3, 2020.

Murfee was born in Oregon in 2016. Later that year, Linda and Ray Barker, who live in Fair Haven, Vermont, adopted him. In 2017, Murfee became a certified therapy dog. This means he helps people feel better just by being around them. He also earned special titles from the AKC, like Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen. Murfee was so popular that he was re-elected for a second term as mayor on March 3, 2021.

Murfee's Work as a Therapy Dog

After becoming a certified therapy dog in 2017, Murfee started working with a group called Caring Canines Therapy Dogs. His owner, Linda Barker, is the president of this group. Murfee visited many places to help people. He went to hospitals, care homes, schools, and colleges all over southern Vermont. His job was to bring comfort and happiness to people. Murfee's website says he spends about 10 hours each week doing this important work.

Becoming a Mayor and Getting Famous

Murfee's journey to becoming mayor started on January 31, 2020. The Fair Haven Police Department announced he was running for mayor on their Facebook page. The very next day, a big news channel, CNN, shared his story. This made Murfee famous across the country!

Soon, news about Murfee spread even further. Articles about him appeared in other countries, like Croatia and Portugal. After he won the election, Murfee became even more well-known. He appeared on popular TV shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Today Show. He was also featured in many articles around the world, including a special appearance in People magazine in June 2020.

Mayoral Goals and Achievements

The main reason for having an honorary mayor in Fair Haven is to raise money for important town projects. Murfee's first big goal as mayor was to collect funds for a new playground. To help with this, he had his own website, a GoFundMe page, and a Facebook account.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Murfee also helped by collecting donations for hundreds of handmade face masks. On January 8, 2021, the town announced exciting news: enough money had been raised for the playground! After this success, Murfee started focusing on a new goal. He began fundraising to build a dog park in Fair Haven, a place where all dogs could play and have fun.