Could an animal really hold an important office? It's happened: Incitatus the horse was made a consul in the Roman Empire. He had a marble stable, eighteen servants, and ate oats mixed with flakes of gold. Then there was Saur, a dog declared king during the days of the Vikings, who signed decrees with his paw. And one can't forget Pigasus, nominated as presidential candidate by a group of Vietnam War protestors, or Clay Henry the goat and his descendants, who became mayors of a small Texas town. The government truly has gone to the dogs--and to the cats, mules, and elephants too--as shown in this fascinating and engaging history.