Don’t Forget The Dog, Mitt

ROMNEY FAMILY VACATION TURNS INTO CANINE’S WORST NIGHTMARE

FITSNews – June 28, 2007 – We thought GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney loved dogs, but apparently not so much. During a 1983 family vacation to Canada, Romney apparently strapped the family’s Irish Setter “Seamus” to the rooftop of their station wagon for a twelve hour car ride. Seamus was understandably miffed, and proceeded to let Mitt, Tagg & Co. know of his displeasure by crapping all over the roof and windows of the Romney Family Truckster. Believe it or not, this story is from Time Magazine, and Romney’s actions have evoked a visceral response from leading animal rights activists’ including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:

“Thinking of the wind, the weather, the speed, the vulnerability, the isolation on the roof, it is commonsense that any dog who’s under extreme stress might show that stress by losing control of his bowels,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “That alone should have been sufficient indication that the dog was, basically, being tortured.”

The best part of this story is that the incident, which authorities agree was probably illegal, is only seeing the light of day because it was the lead in a Boston Globe profile attempting to showcase Romney’s “emotion-free crisis management.” According to the Globe profile, Romney “coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway.” Gee, what a leader!

UPDATE - Todd the Dog, the first canine to run for statewide office in South Carolina history, just issued a statement on this incident. While the statement cannot be reproduced on our blog, it has been scooped up, placed inside a plastic bag and will be delivered promptly to Romney’s S.C. headquarters.