Captain Ron, 2004 (Tennessee) - March 3, 2018 (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.)
VP candidate for Geezer Party (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Mildred the Pug (d. 2018)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Mildred the Pug was entered as an option in the 2016 Presidential race by the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. as a way to publicize the plight of older canines needing to be re-homed. Mildred arrived to the Sanctuary in sorry shape and in spite of having an eye removed managed to recover and act as the poster dog for the rescue project. Apparently she eventually lost the use of her other eye.
According to spokesperson Zina Goodin--
Mildred is the perfect choice for a presidential campaign due to her confident, in-control attitude, wisdom and ability to spread the word that senior dogs rule. Mildred shows that even the "saddest" dog in the shelter can be a star and be a wonderful member of a family.
Mildred has integrity. Mildred is not a career politician and has lots of experience in the real world. Mildred is a strong leader who expects the most from her staff. She is not afraid of anyone. Mildred has tackled hardships such as being left at a shelter in bad health to rebound and come out stronger on the other side. Mildred's campaign slogan is "a completely new direction."
The running-mate was Captain Ron, another resident of OFSDS. The ticket had enough publicity that the VP's original owner recognized their lost dog. The OFSDS Facebook page told the story--
Sept. 17, 2016
CAPTAIN RON FANS… we have a special post just for you. Today, we were contacted by Captain Ron’s original owner. Captain Ron disappeared from their farm two years ago and they had long ago given up hope of ever seeing him again. He was picked up as a stray, and because he was a senior with some health issues, he would not have made it out of the shelter alive once his three-day stray hold was up. We took him into our program and his original owner never found out what had happened to him. They just saw him on our page and, of course, knew that it was their long lost dog right away. Since then, they have moved out of state and are not able to take Captain Ron back (his home is now here with us), but are incredibly happy to find out that the Captain is alive and doing very well.
Below are photos of Captain Ron from when he was a puppy until just before he became an Old Friend. Many of you have asked questions about Captain Ron that we were, until now, unable to give you the answers to.
Here are some “Captain Ron Facts”:
His original name was Oscar
He's 13 years old
He's a Great Pyrenees - Rottweiler Mix
He grew up on a farm with cows and sheep
He's missing 1 eye because of Blastomycosis
He was just getting over a terrible infection when he disappeared.
Captain Ron’s favorite song is "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel. (btw, OFSDS’s inspiration song is “Old Friends” also by Simon and Garfunkel)
We are so happy that we were able to tell Captain Ron’s original owner that Ron is doing great. They obviously loved him and cared deeply for him.
There were some small potential roadblocks for this duo in the event of their victory. First, they were dogs. Second, there is the question if their ages were counted in human or dog years. Third, they were residents of the same state.
Captain Ron died in Mar. 2018 and Mildred in Sept. of that year. So if they had assumed office the next President would have been whoever had been selected to fill the void left by Ron's departure. If the vacancy had not been filled by the time of the Mildred's death, then Speaker of the House Paul Ryan would have become President.
The Geezer Party ran a dog named Mack for President in 2020.
Election history: none
Other occupations: dog
Buried: ?
Notes:
I confess, my house is sort of a home for wayward cats and I applaud the mission of OFSDS. Last winter I rescued a very sorry looking fellow, scabby and missing fur, and today he is a luxurious feline, fat and happy.
