Raiin's term in office is coming to a close.
The five-year-old boxer served as Port Coquitlam's first-ever pet ambassador after winning the inaugural election of its kind in the city in 2021, which also served as a fundraiser for community events.
Now, it's time to elect a new furry representative in the confines of city hall.
The PoCo Heritage Museum and Archives has opened the nomination period for its second pet election with a June 6 deadline.
"Nominees will campaign for votes over the course of a month, and the winner of this lighthearted competition will be named PoCo’s official pet ambassador by the Mayor himself," reads the ballot's description on the organization's website.
"There will also be an award for the pet with the most spirited campaign."
Raiin received the most votes in the inaugural race, and altogether, PoCo Heritage raised more than $2,500 for community events and programming, as well as curating the museum's collection, which included several pet photos.
Last year, there were 33 candidates up for the title — 29 dogs, three cats and one rabbit.
"The pets were so cute, we had some great submissions for our campaign tasks, and really the outpouring of support from the community was heartwarming," said Alex Code, PoCo Heritage museum manager, in an earlier interview with the Tri-City News.
"If anything, I think this event just goes to show how important our pets are to our community."
The pet that wins the ballot will earn the honour of representing all pets at Port Coquitlam in-person events, depending on its abilities; they'll also receive the official symbols of the office and lots of bragging rights.
The candidacy and voting period begins on June 9, with a winner set to be declared after June 23.
For more information, or if you wish to submit a nomination for the competition, you can visit the PoCo Heritage Museum and Archives' website.
