Mihos tactics turn dogmatic

Thomas F. Reilly has the firefighters' endorsement. Deval Patrick has US Representative Michael E. Capuano. But Christy Mihos has Lucy, a golden retriever from Dartmouth who loves to frolic at the beach.

Though his support among humans is still uncertain, Mihos is signing up dogs like Lucy to help bolster his campaign for the corner office. The independent candidate wants to recruit 351 ''canine coordinators," one in every city and town.

''We're a campaign of inclusion, so why not this dimension?" Mihos asked.

The candidate could not point to any specific responsibilities the canines and their families will take on, aside from posting a picture of their pup along with its name, hometown, and top political issues on the campaign website.

Mihos and his wife, Andrea, say they want to draw dog lovers into the campaign. There is no similar effort right now for cats or gerbils. But Mihos may expand the program.

The site features a snapshot of Mihos's own dog, Reagan, a tousled speck of a Yorkshire terrier who supposedly hates ''no dogs allowed" signs and wishes dogs had equal rights, similar to his dad's view that all humans should have equal rights.

It's difficult to gauge the depth of feeling the dogs have about the gubernatorial candidate. On the site, the dogs purportedly support such positions as lower real estate taxes and decreasing turnpike tolls, but some seem distracted.

The organizational effort is expected to take off this spring, despite the onset of flea and tick season.

LISA WANGSNESS