Red, white and blue signs, some with stars, stripes, or both, fill a window at Craig and Laurie Winslow’s commercial building at 51 Water St. in Wiscasset. The signs declare local pets’ candidacies for offices real and not real, from would be first selectdog Peach, to dachshund Reilly for “Wiscasset licker board” and wildlife manager hopeful Mae the cat. According to her sign, she would protect Wiscasset homes “one rodent at a time.”

Fellow feline Chloe makes a similar offer if put on “Mouse Patrol. I’ll take care of your little problems.”

Philo the dog’s sign was first, and aims higher. Philo, Cynthia Pappas’ canine – a friend to many merchants and others in the village from all of Pappas’ and his walks – is running for king of Wiscasset. “I always say Philo is self-appointed king,” Pappas explained. “So we might as well run for it and make it official.”

However, by having a second sign – saying to vote for him because “he likes lunch” – Philo is risking he will be accused of election fraud, noted Laurie Winslow.

“He’s already been accused,” Pappas said. 

The Winslows have put years of work into the building and, when Pappas got the pet campaign signs idea from social media, including to make lawn signs, the couple offered to put up flyer versions in a window in a building section they are now working on. “Since this is the last space to renovate, we’ll make it fun,” Craig Winslow said they decided.

“This makes a much nicer window than just the curtain that we had up,” Laurie Winslow said. “This is absolutely crazy fun, and not political at all,” she added.

“And it takes the edge off the political world,” her husband said. 

The lone bird with a sign as of Friday, Carson, is out for press secretary: “You talk, I’ll squawk.”

The window, a few seconds’ walk from famous food stand Red’s Eats, is getting a lot of eyes on it and the reactions are positive, Craig Winslow said. “It’s unbelievable. People from out of state stop and take pictures of it.”

Said Laurie Winslow, “People will be walking down the street and be so surprised. It’s a conversation piece.” The couple plans to keep the display entitled “Campaign Headquarters” in the window through Election Day. And it has spread to the window in the door next to the picture window.

Did Pappas foresee this becoming the hit it is? “I was hoping. I feel like, nobody’s going to complain or roll their eyes at a sign like this.” Word of mouth has helped, as has Facebook page Wicked Good Wiscasset’s extensive promotion of it, she said. 

As the Winslows are a pet-loving family, “This brings joy to us,” Craig Winslow said as he looked at the picture window filled with signs.