Britain’s general election was going to the dogs Thursday as voters took their pooches to polling stations up and down the country.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson set the tone early when he took his Jack Russell cross Dilyn with him as he voted in London.
Britain’s Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson holds his dog Dilyn as he leaves after voting in the general election at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, London, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
The city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, followed Johnson’s lead, posting a video of himself and his dog Luna at a polling station and urging people to vote.
By early afternoon #dogsatpollingstations was trending on Twitter as owners followed suit.
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A dog waits at a polling station during the general elections in north London, Britain, 12 December 2019. Britons go to the polls on 12 December 2019 in a general election to vote for a new parliament.
EPA/NEIL HALL
Photos showed dogs dressed up in costumes varying from a bumble bee to Santa Claus sitting next to polling station signs.
One was festooned with festive lights, reflecting the timing of the election less than two weeks from Christmas.
In this image posted on Twitter dog Mac, a racing greyhound, at a polling station Thursday Dec. 12, 2019. Dogs and British people go out in the winter to vote, at various places during Britain’s general election Thursday.
(Twitter @PenLlawen/Richard Gaywood via AP)
It was not clear how many dogs got into voting booths.
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The electoral commission says animals, with the exception of assistance dogs, “are not usually allowed inside polling stations.”