Swiss cabinet race · White Swiss Shepherd Dog
Aeschi all but certain for SVP shortlist – the White Swiss Shepherd waited decades for his
Der Hündeler, Edition of Friday, 13 November 2026
What happened
Switzerland’s SVP party is looking for candidates to succeed Guy Parmelin in the Federal Council, the country’s seven-member government. According to the broadcaster SRF, Aeschi is all but certain to make the party’s official shortlist, while much else remains uncertain. Who makes the cut is not decided on strategic grounds alone.
What does this mean for your White Swiss Shepherd?
The White Swiss Shepherd knows what a place on the shortlist is worth, and how long it can take. In Germany his white coat was long considered a fault, and he was ruled out before he had a chance to stand. He decamped to North America, eventually returned, and found a home, of all places, in Switzerland. International recognition came in 2011, after a process that makes any parliamentary selection committee look brisk. He now carries the country’s name in his title, which has not stopped people in the park mistaking him for a wolf or a bleached German Shepherd. Being a sensitive breed, he suffers alongside every candidate waiting by the phone.
What you can do now: Address your dog by his full name today. He fought long enough for it.