--- description: As Brits cast their ballot in the country's general election, photos of dogs patiently waiting outside polling stations began to go viral. title: UK Election: Photos of Dogs in Polling Stations Go Viral image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15f17e9037c87671/6988d0f38fd2eef38f35773b/gettyimages-693720424.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These British Dogs at Polling Stations Are Keeping Calm and Carrying On by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 8, 2017 9:47 PM CUT  Toby, a beagle cross waits for his master outside a polling station on the Glen road on June 8, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Toby, a beagle cross waits for his master outside a polling station on the Glen road on June 8, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Charles McQuillan—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 8, 2017 9:47 PM CUT Brits headed to the [ballot box](http://time.com/4809394/british-election-2017-labour-party-jeremy-corbyn/ "undefined") for the third time in just over two years today, to vote in the [U.K.’s general election](http://time.com/4811172/uk-election-2017-theresa-may-jeremy-corbyn-results/ "undefined"). But many of them did not make the journey alone, bringing their pet dogs along for the ride. In true British form, the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations quickly began trending on social media, with voters sharing adorable photos of their pets as they patiently waited for them to mark a cross on their ballot paper. > [](https://twitter.com/vegankezkev/status/872932936869437441) > [](https://twitter.com/LAbroms/status/872909153626333184) > [](https://twitter.com/GeorgiaWeisz/status/872922785353531394) > [](https://twitter.com/Occasionaldance/status/872931633137156102) Dogs weren’t the only animals that accompanied their owners to the ballot box. Social media revealed that a rat, a tortoise, guinea pigs and even a horse made the trip to execute their democratic rights. > [](https://twitter.com/London%5FRatties/status/872701212658892800) > [](https://twitter.com/CharlieEKnowles/status/872747034222231553) > [](https://twitter.com/ADButterworth/status/872748199278252032) > [](https://twitter.com/Mancman10/status/872730201226129408) > [](https://twitter.com/litchfieldhens/status/872889971522383872) Cat owners did not let the dog owners rule the roost. Shortly after #dogsatpollingstations began trending, photos of smug-looking cats snoozing at home with the hashtag #catswithpostal began doing the rounds too. > [](https://twitter.com/bury%5Flisa/status/872807903614423041) > [](https://twitter.com/AlixJoanne/status/872807760638988289) > [](https://twitter.com/CastleFox/status/872799937628692480) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4811922/dogs-at-polling-stations-uk-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4811922/dogs-at-polling-stations-uk-election/"},"headline":"These British Dogs at Polling Stations Are Keeping Calm and Carrying On","datePublished":"2017-06-08T21:47:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:44:20.284Z","description":"The hashtag #catswithpostalvotes also began trending","url":"https://time.com/4811922/dogs-at-polling-stations-uk-election/","keywords":["Newsfeed","United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15f17e9037c87671/6988d0f38fd2eef38f35773b/gettyimages-693720424.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15f17e9037c87671/6988d0f38fd2eef38f35773b/gettyimages-693720424.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"British Voters Go To The Polls In The 2017 General Election","caption":"British Voters Go To The Polls In The 2017 General Election","creditText":"Charles McQuillan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4811922/dogs-at-polling-stations-uk-election/","name":"These British Dogs at Polling Stations Are Keeping Calm and Carrying On"}}]}] ```