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© Carola Vyhnak/Toronto Star
Blame it on the wagging tail. Genny's first step in her bid to be voted top dog on Clarington council was less than a howling success on Monday.

Man's best friend has no place in politics, the Labrador retriever's agent Marven Whidden was told when he tried to register her as a mayoral candidate in the Oct. 25 municipal election.

"I'm sorry, we won't be accepting nominations for a dog," municipal clerk Patti Barrie said when the pair showed up at Town Hall in Bowmanville. "She's not a person."

But the 3-year-old retriever is not about to roll over and play dead following the rejection. Plan B could be a write-in ballot campaign or a petition hounding council to allow Genny's candidacy, Whidden said.

He wanted to get her name on the ballot after deciding a little canine intervention was the perfect antidote to a dull election campaign. A mention of the idea on his blog 10 days ago unleashed a torrent of support reaching as far as India.

"It sends a huge message to politicians when people say, 'I'd vote for a dog before I'd vote for you again'," said Whidden, a power system controller for a local utility company. "They're saying 'We're fed up with the old song and dance'."

A few passersby on Monday were quick to pledge their support.

"She's got my vote," said resident Bob McCann. "Half of them (councillors) aren't doing their job. A dog doesn't back talk, at least."

In the dog-eat-dog world of politics, Genny has an obvious advantage.

"She wags her tail instead of her tongue," said Whidden. And while kissing babies may not be her thing, she does a mean face lick.

The lively pooch, who loves to chase balls and fish for trout in the local creek, has at least succeeded in shaking up local politics.

"It's taken off in a way I never imagined in my wildest dreams," said Whidden. "My dog's done more to spark talk about the election and get people out to vote than any PR firm ever could."