Poll Pooch  2008
Poll Pooch 2008

The town of Herndon apparently takes its poll pooches seriously.  This great dane puts in an appearance at every Herndon election according to sources.  He was there bright and early this morning when the polls opened at 6:30. (above picture from 2008)

I also understand that one of the founders of Help Save Herndon is on the ballot for town council.  Hopefully our Herndon friends will keep us apprised of how election day is going over in Herndon. After viewing the town council meetings, it appears that peace and tranquility isn’t part of the main objective.

Is that a donkey lying down or a great dane running for office on the Jones’ sign?  Perhaps he will further explain this logo on the candidate website: 

http://www.herndonunited.com/

signs

54 Thoughts to “Poll Pooch Guards Polls on Election Day in Herndon”

  1. Elena

    A dog running for office? Hmmm, at this point, a dog may do a better job! Oh, wait, its a human? The fun you could have with that sign is endless!

    Is that Aubrey Stokes with that scary dog? Why would someone bring such an intimidating animal to the voting polls? I am pretty sure you can’t bring a dog in with you to the voting booth, could there have been other reasons for this addition at the polls? Just askin’.

  2. marinm

    That’s such a lovely dog!

  3. That’s Aubrey with the dog in 2008, they had it out this morning with the same leash in about the same spot.

    The guard dog of Herndon I guess, ready to chase away strangers and people making less than 25K a year so those housing values stay up there…

    5 time what their physically worth… very dishonest.

    Novatownhall has an article as well…

    http://novatownhall.com/2010/03/23/phil-jones-for-herndon-town-council/

  4. But do dogs belong at the polls? I question the wisdom of bringing a dog that size to the polls. Historically, dogs have been used to scare voters.

  5. I honestly thought the dog was a donkey lying down at first glance, on the sign.

    I love my dogs too. They are little guys. I am still not sure I would take them to the polls.

  6. Does the dog belong to Aubrey or to the candidate? Is Help Save Herndon still operational? What is its relationship with Help Save Manassas?

  7. marinm

    I guess I could ask.. What’s worse? A Great Dane or a baton being wielded by a Black Panther? http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/congressman-why-is-justice-department-refusing-to-allow-its-career-attorneys-to-testify-before-civil-rights-commission-92104409.html

    I guess I don’t mind a dog. I wouldn’t even mind it as much if the BPs we’re wearing those batons in holsters or some other means where they weren’t handling those weapons. But, to say weapons should be restricted in a polling place – I don’t think I agree with that. In Virginia it’s very common for weapons to be taken into a polling place (schools are the restriction but that law needs to be changed to allow the carrying of arms while voting) that is otherwise not restricted.

    I guess the dog is no big deal for me. Now, if the dog was growling at everyone that came through and the owner wasn’t doing anything to restrain his dog – I can see that point. But, do we ban all dogs? Is my teacup terrier a weapon of voter intimidation?

    Let’s let common sense prevail here. I think the dog is fine but the owner must – as always – be both accountable and responsible for any damage his property does (to people or property).

  8. How about a baton being wielded by anyone? Why is a baton being wielded by a black panther worse than one being wielded by a white supremist or anyone for that matter? Those kinds of get-ups and weapons have no place at polling places.

    Many people are afraid of large dogs. If the dog scares one person, it shouldn’t be there. The south, in particular, should be sensitive to its past history.

    Something is horribly wrong if someone has to carry weapons of any sort while voting. And for the record, I would feel a bit better about the baton being a gun.

  9. @Moon-howler

    The Owner of the dog is in dispute, Aubrey came to this forum last year and said it was his, but with Phil, I don’t know…perhaps they co-own it?

    helpsaveherndon seems to be part of helpsavevirginia

    http://helpsavevirginia.com/

    The site seems to mostly be made of netbot searches on Illeagle Immigration and Day Labor.

    HSM is mysteriously missing from the Help Save Virginia chapters… perhaps they have a diffrence of opinion on mebership issues or something?

    All I can say is the Day Labor situation in Herndon today has changed very little since 2005. Laborers still gather in front of 7-11 and have actually spread to other places. There is a small drop in numbers, but that’s more related to the economy than anything HSH or the Herndon Minutemen or the Town Council ever did.

    These groups all talk big, but don’t deliver. Mostly they serve to draw up bad press for the town making it unatractive to new people in the area.

  10. Elena

    They have no place there at the voting precinct, no agrument here. Two wrongs don’t make a right.@marinm

  11. I am unsure why HSM would distance itself from HSH and HSV. Perhaps others know and will tell us on here. It might be that ‘or something.’ Perhaps Alanna remembers.

  12. Lafayette

    @rod2155
    HSM is a chapter of Save The Old Dominion. HSV is NOT the same. HSM is listed on STOD’s website.
    http://savetheolddominion.org/

  13. So what is the difference?

    It looks like help Save Loudoun is in both. Same with Hampton.

    It sounds like a rift to me.

  14. Lafayette

    I guess the approach and leadership. Heck if I know. I just know what I stated earlier.
    Checkout the websites for differences.

  15. I just added to my post…some organizations belong to both. I think it must be ‘other things.’ [wink wink nudge nudge]

    Who is the boss of HSV?

  16. Mando

    This is horrible! Everyone knows Great Danes are racist!!

  17. Bringing your dog to the polls is inappropriate. I am surprised someone didn’t ask the owner to bring it home, especially considering how big it is.

    I have a very cute dog that wouldn’t intimidate a mouse, but I would never bring her to the polls! Seems like common sense and courtesy to me.

  18. marinm

    Why are these polls so sacred to y’all that you can’t bring a dog to them? I can see it now. we want to deputize the lil’ old’ lady that out of civic pride and duty volunteers to work a poll and now make her the judge of what dog you can or cannot bring into a polling place.

    What about dogs for the blind? Screw the blind, eh? They’re fault for being handicapped? Come on. We don’t live in a world where we can put nurf foam on everything.

    Really, what’s the concern with having a dog at a polling place? I mean, its just silly that it’s even an issue.

    Next election cycle I’m putting my cat on a leash (yes, my cat loves being put on a leash) and we’re gonna vote together.. I’ll write in Cuccinelli twice for School Board in PWC. 🙂

    To the earlier about a Black Panther or a White Supremist wielding a baton. I agree. They both should have them holstered and they both need to be at the outter edge of the area marked for canvesing. They could both have tea and crumpets while they discuss healthcare reform (all while armed) for all I care – just don’t block the voting site and keep sidearms holstered.

    Oh, and no dogs. lol

  19. Some of our regular contributors have been intimidated over the years by dogs and by the dogs’ owners. Obviously dogs used by the handicapped have privileges other animals don’t have. At least one of them has been stalked on this blog. That’s as much as needs to be said.

    My dog wouldn’t be allowed in a restaurant. Someone with a sight assistance dog would be able to take their dog with them.

    I would call the election board faster than greased lightning if I felt threatened at the polls. However, my ‘demographic’ hasn’t historically been targeted at the polls, well, not for 70-80 years. Change is not always easy.

  20. Wolverine

    If I am recalling correctly, that Great Dane became sort of a symbol when the debate over illegal immigration was very hot in Herndon and there was serious fear of crime against persons and property. When the immigrant population started spilling across the county line into Sterling, something similar happened here but did not become a political symbol per se. Here it was just plain fear. You would not believe the quantum jump in the numbers of single women acquiring dogs all of a sudden — and I mean BIG dogs. I would see them while out on patrol every night, some of them seemingly being walked by their dogs.

  21. marinm

    Was it true intimidation or was it just someone standing there? I know you said that it’s as much as needs to be said; but without any information to refute I have to believe that the people were over sensitive and mis-read the situation.

    A shopkeeper can allow or refuse trade anytime he wants. The polling place is a governmental function. Unless the govt has a compelling need to ban the dog the dog should be allowed to be there.

    No doubt that you have the right to contact the election board if you feel your civil rights are being violated (even to call 911 if you feel your life is threatened) but without any overt action I just don’t see anything happening the way you want it to. Are you intimidated because I’m hispanic and hanging out at a polling place? No. So, why be intimidated by a guy that has a dog on a leash. Do you have an issue with K9 units as well?

    You not liking something doesn’t give you the right to take away that man’s civil rights.

    Now, if his dog attacked someone I’d be the first to put a bullet in it. But, until the point he violates a law he should be treated no different than anyone else.

  22. Marin, I didn’t see it with my own 2 eyes so I cannot answer. To do so would be speculative. Perhaps some of the folks who saw it will have an answer.

    Wolverine, I think it is fine that people have dogs. Far be it from me to laugh at anyone having a lot of dogs (shut up Elena and Alanna!) But the dogs don’t need to come to the polls. That is a form of swaggering and posturing if the animal really is a guard dog.

    Marin, where does one draw the line? What is to keep someone from wearing a white sheet and hood at the polls?

    There are all sorts of things people do covertly that intimidate. This country has a long history of denying people their right to vote.

  23. Emma

    Looking at the picture here, I fail to see the problem with the dog. He is well-controlled, leashed and harnessed, and away from foot traffic–up against a support column behind a table or something. What’s the big deal? I bring my greyhound almost everywhere, and she’s taller than the dog shown here. She makes a great conversation piece as well as an excellent recruitment tool for greyhound adoption. I’ve been around a lot of yappy and uncontrolled smaller dogs that seemed like more of a biting threat. Your picture does not support your assertion of some kind of threat.

  24. Poor Richard

    Better a dog than a poll cat.

  25. marinm

    Depends. If the white sheet covers the persons head you could charge him with ‘wearing a mask in public’. But, aside from that – sure why not? Why can’t a person wear that?

    Where do we stop? No shirts with a candidate on them? No red shirts? No blue ones? Get rid of that campaign button? …silly.

    I know.. lets ban turbins… See how that works? How do we justify banning one thing and not another? I think we should be more diverse and open and not want to exclude our 4 legged friends and companions.

  26. Censored bybvbl

    Some people are afraid of dogs and certainly wouldn’t anticipate finding one at a polling place. My mother had such a friend. I can guarantee that had she seen a dog – particularly one that size – she would have returned to her car and left. Finally she realized that she was instilling a fear of dogs in her children. They would scream and run when they saw a loose dog and, of course, what dog doesn’t like to chase something that behaves like that. She relented and bought a beagle. She was pretty scared of it but the kiddos finally adapted.

    When I had my Border Collie, we had a few run-ins with Rotties and Dobies which were off their properties. I remember having to fend off a Dobie with a rake until I could get my dog into my house. After that I became much more cautious – though not afraid – of dogs

    There’s a reason that dog – as good natured as he or she might be – is at the poll and it’s not because its owner gives a damn about his fellow citizen/voters.

  27. marinm

    Censored, so as a society is it ok to profile this dog owner and jump to the conclusion that he’s trying to intimidate people or do we just say to the man “nice dog” and walk up the stairs to vote.

    Is profiling people acceptable?

  28. Censored bybvbl

    Marinm, I’ve never seen a dog at my polling place. Have you seen one at yours? If my dog were still alive, I would not bring him to such a place out of consideration for other people, many of whom are afraid of dogs.

    A seeing-eye dog replaces a person’s eyes. What does this dog replace? Haha. I’d wager a guess…

  29. Emma

    A lot of evening walkers might be afraid of dogs, too. Does that mean I have to keep my girl locked up in the backyard, rather than on the sidewalk on a leash?

  30. Lucky Duck

    Anything that imtimidates voters does not belong at a polling place, a baton, a large dog. Who holds the dog while he votes?
    In November 2008, during the last presidential election, many people were attempting to vote early at the DMV on Horner Road/Minnieville Road. The DMV manager was concerned about the large number of voters and the usual crowd at DMV doing business. The manager called the PWC police and when they arrived, the lines for both the voting and DMV, while extremely large and crowding each other to the outside of the building, were orderly and just waiting. The DMV manager demanded the officers stand by and assist with crowd control. The Department refused, saying uniformed police did not belong inside a polling place. I liked that opinion. The police informed the manager if there were issues to contact them for a response, but the potential intimidation factor of uniformed police standing inside a polling place was not the proper use of staffing.
    Nobody should be intimidated at a polling place, nobody.

  31. Censored bybvbl

    Emma, what does your evening walk have to do with a person’s right to not feel intimidated when exercising his/her right to vote?

  32. I find it amazing that some people here find the reason that ‘they have a right to do it’ or that something isn’t against the law a reason to do something. What ever happened to the golden rule? How about common sense or just being a good neighbor?

    There are compelling reasons not to bring anything that someone might perceive as threatening to the polls. When dogs are no longer used as weapons by society then we can treat them like the warm fuzzy creatures most of us think they are.

    Censored…Does it start with a …….?

  33. Hi Lucky Duck. Glad you stopped by. It is always good to know that the voice of reason is still out there.

  34. Emma

    @Censored bybvbl We’re assuming that this intimidation by pooch really happened. I’ve seen Rod tell this story at least three times, and I’m convinced the story is BS, sorry. That dog looks completely under control and out of the way.

  35. Censored bybvbl

    Emma, I think people who are intimidated by dogs, particularly large ones, don’t give a damn if the dog is well-behaved or lounging beside the Republican support troops’ tent. They’re afraid of dogs.

  36. Dogs are usually more comfortable with the race of their owners, from what I have been told.

  37. What right do you have to call someone you do not know a liar, Emma?

    You have yet to say why the dog should be at the polls. Maybe we need a big black dude there with a well-trained pitbull on a leash. Would that make you feel comfortable? When you have anyone with a dog on a leash, that means you have put total trust in the owner and the dog. Sorry. Nothing should intimidate voters.

    Let’s put it this way, I am privy to some behind the scenes information that never made it public here that tells me there is quite a bit to Rod’s story. There are other contributors from Herndon also.

    The dog is present at the polls. No one ever said the dog wasn’t under control by its owner. And actually, it isn’t out of the way. If one person is uncomfortable, that is one person too many.

    The owners are aware that the dog makes others uncomfortable. That leads to one conclusion: The owner(s) don’t give a crap.

  38. punchak

    This dog didn’t just COME to to polling station. It was there all day long. And the sun was very hot.

    Emma – as you can see from the 2008 picture, the dog is up on the walkway that every voter has go through to get to the entrance. People often bring their children with them when they vote. This dog would tower over any pre-school child.

    Anyway, Phil Jones came in last among the twelve candidates. Maybe the voters were afraid he’d be bringing his canine to the Council meetings/ None of the other candidates brought their pets for the daylong outing.

  39. What scary dog? Apparently, this dog has a peaceful history. And I’ve seen dogs at polling places down here. Heck, while voting last year, a guy was voting while walking his dog. It was a nice little boxer/lab mix. About 80lbs.

    Great Danes, generally are peaceful. Unless the dog is being used to intimidate people, and that would be obvious, or there are complaints, what’s the harm? If there are complaints, the election authorities should remove them, using police if they have to.

  40. punchak

    cargosquid

    You don’t seem to get it. The Dane was not with a person in and out to vote. It was stationed at the walkway to the entrance the whole day. I don’t know why anybody would keep a dog that size constrained a whole day. Aren’t big dogs supposed to have at least a couple of good workouts every day?

    “…a guy was voting while walking his dog.” Mobile voting machine?

  41. Punchak, thanks for that update. I was hoping you would come along and add further clarification. I am glad to hear the people of Herndon have spoken.

    Daniel E. Alvarado 1,067 7.91%

    Cesar A. del Aguila 1,117 8.28%

    Connie Haines Hutchinson 1,273 9.44%

    Philip R. Jones 708 5.25%

    David A. Kirby 1,158 8.58%

    Lisa C. Merkel 1,354 10.04%

    Sheila A. Olem 1,255 9.30%

    Jasbinder Singh 1,193 8.84%

    Carl I. Sivertsen 811 6.01%

    William B. “Bill” Tirrell 1,162 8.61%

    Charlie D. Waddell 1,152 8.54%

    Grace H. Wolf 1,172 8.69%

    Write In 62 0.45%

  42. The results can be found at the Virginia State Board of Elections

    https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2010/A470CCC2-6F4F-4635-BB89-526338D1B403/Unofficial/00_059_s.shtml

    Perhaps Punchak can tell us how many supervisors there are and who actually won. We know who didn’t win and we can only guess why.

    I am glad we ran the article and thank those who saw that information got to Moonhowlings.net.

  43. Starryflights

    Phil Jones is a silly, effeminate man who needs the big dog to boost his own sense of manhood. That a man would have to use his own pet to produce a masculine image is sickening, revolting and disgusting.

    Mr. Jones should be on the leash rather than the dog. I’d vote for the dog.

  44. rod2155

    MAYOR:
    (i)Steve J. DeBenedittis 1846
    ———–
    Gary Gepford ??

    COUNCIL:
    Lisa C. Merkel 1354 (will be Vice Mayor)
    (i)Connie Haines Hutchinson 1273
    Sheila A. Olem 1255
    Jasbinder Singh 1193
    Grace Wolf 1172
    (i)William B. “Bill” Tirrell 1162
    ———–
    (i)David A. Kirby 1158
    (i)Charlie D. Waddell 1152
    Cesar A. del Aguila 1117
    Daniel E. Alvarado 1067
    Carl I. Sivertsen 811
    Philip R. Jones 708

    (i)=2008-2010 council

    Herndon Alliance has a 4 over 3 vote over the most sensitive things and probably could swing a 6-1, or full consensus over most issues.

    Congrats to our new Council! hopefully we can work on building a more tighter community structure.

  45. Starryflights

    Lot of good the dog did for Mr Jones, bwahaha!

  46. PWC Taxpayer

    The bottom line here folks is that the liberals on this blog were /are very concerned that the dog intimidated certain other law abiding liberals (as compared to any conservatives that might have also voted). Whey else the concern? Noone was attacked or apparantly complained – nor can I gather that any rules were broken nor did the polling place folks object. Perhaps liberals are concerned that certain liberal voters might be intimidated by an assoication with large Guard dogs or the police. Makes sense to me.

  47. Elena

    Hi Lucky Duck!

    Glad to “see” you. I agree 100% about a dog or a baton, neither belong at voting precincts!

  48. TP, you don’t know what you are talking about. This is not the first time we have run an article on this dog being present all day long at the polls. Antibvbl.net has covered the topic.

    There are all sorts of behaviors that are not prohibited by law. That does not mean that they should be done. Fortunately, the people of Herndon have spoken and apparently parading large dogs at the polls doesn’t win you votes. They voted on the behavior. The dog man might still bring his dog to the polls but he will just be average Joe, not their councilman.

    This is not a liberal vs conservative issue. It is an issue about appropriateness of behavior. You might want to do a little history on a couple of these people before you comment. You would look a little more informed.

  49. punchak

    @Starryflights

    I’m glad Phil Jones was put at the bottom of the list, but I must tell you that I find your comment uncalled for. It has an undertone that I find despicable, and what you are hinting at has no bearing on his loss. He has simply alienated too many people with his negative writings and uncivil treatment of people who happen to disagree with him – on ANYthing.

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