Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is running in part on his character in the battle for the GOP base. So what to make of the Boston Globe’s recent revelation that in 1983, he confined his Irish setter to a dog carrier on his station wagon’s roof for the family’s 12-hour drive to Ontario? The tale’s diarrheal details don’t help. “He scrambled up there every time we went on trips,” Romney said, as the story drew the ire of animal-rights activists and just-plain dog lovers.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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39 Comments
I still fail to see what the big deal is about this. Dogs ride in carriers behind hunter vehicles on trips all the time. .. on their bumpers, in the back of their trucks….they even have gear to buy just for this purpose. Explain how this is any different than the top of a car.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1vUCGH61Uk4
Mitt Romney went to Stanford and Harvard. That would have made him a yuppie at the time of the Ontario vacation trip.
I remember the 80s. Yuppies installed millions of wire barriers mounted behind the rear seats of their station wagons to keep their dogs restrained.
It just seems to me that Seamus would probably have been happier riding in the back of the car among his “family”, with the luggage strapped to the top of the car, rather than the other way around.
Whether or not it was cruel depends on the circumstance. Was it hot as hell or freezing cold or just a mild fall day? Was the carrier of sufficient size for the dog to be comfortable in? How often did they stop to check on dog, give it water and clean out any waste that might be in the carrier? Romney should answer these questions.
I cant believe ANY of you think this is just fine. I think it shows a tremendous lack of empathy and very poor judgement.
Riding in the back of a truck or a trailer is not recommended for dogs either. Two wrongs dont make a right. The rule of thumb is if you wouldnt transport your child that way, dont do it to your dog. It really isnt too complicated.
Is THIS the kind of judgement and cruelty you want in your president?
I mean, remember the shrub…
Oh, and btw WE…
We discussed this here a week ago. Slow news day?
Oh, come on. Mitt the Mutt said the dog liked it.
Combining our two hard hitting topics AM; piercing your kid demonstrates a lot more questionable judgment, than putting the family dog in a carrier on your car roof.
Because a dog is a dog.
“Because a dog is a dog.”
very telling outie.
And a woman is a woman. And kids are kids.
Dominionist much?
In a nation of pet lovers, this story may not stay in the headlines, but it is going to be remembered when folks go to the polls.
Maybe not remembered by dominionist republicans, but it will be remembered by those who want GOOD judgement in a president, not a rerun of the “Nightmare on Shrub Street” we’ve had the last six years.
“Because a dog is a dog.”
Remember folks, you heard it here first…
Geez, with outie’s thinking, no WONDER we have environmental disasters that are “not” the fault of humans.
The earth and all its creatures are here for us to dominate and use for our own selfish purposes.
Jesus wept…
God gave Man dominion over all things.
I don’t think that includes abuse, but the dog issue is way overblown.
I would also point out that he is a Republican and Repubicans are far more likely to be cruel to animals as a group. The few kids I knew back in a school that liked to torture animals all grew up to be conservative Republicans.
OK folks, how about a test?
Put the dog in the back seat, put the luggage on the roof, roll down the window.
Watch the dog’s head poke out the window for the entire trip!
Chuckle… kfg can go from “a dog is a dog” to a dominionist in only three easy, deluded steps! Remarkable.
There is a difference. For instance, I doubt I would let my kid sleep outside on the ground, but I will let our dogs, a much loved golden retriever and the other an ultra intelligent mutt that we saved from incinerator.
“A dog is not a dog”- kfg
Big eye roll for paulie rosselli…
Put a kid in the back seat and he/she is likely to do the same. Or worse.
Does that make it ok for the kid too?
Hell, HUMANS drive with body parts hanging out the window. Does that make it ok?
Nice try paulie. We are amused, and we do encourage you to try again.
And dont forget that mitt is the guy who wants to DOUBLE the size of Gitmo. Cruelty is as cruelty does. Disregard for all life other than fetus life.
The republican way.
Nice try outie, but you already showed your true colors here.
You are a dominionist to the core.
Sleeping on the ground is a LONG way from being tied to the top of a car for a twelve hour drive. THAT shows a complete lack of compassion.
And judgement. Do you want a guy like the mittster in charge of our military? With his finger on the button? Someone with a COMPLETE lack of awareness of the suffering of others?
If you are outie, probably so…
Yes, as a matter of fact, I think Mitt Romney is the best choice for prez now running.
“Dogs are as important as humans”- kfg
“The only life that matters is a fetus” – outlander
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I think Mitt Romney is the best choice for prez now running.”
Color me SHOCKED.
If you can defend the mittster’s monumental lack of judgement, you MUST be supporting him for preznit.
I mean really. Do you think someone who would do this, tie an animal to the roof of a car for a 12 hour drive, is the BEST person for president of the USA?
I guess so if you think the size of gitmo should be doubled.
Dominion.
Tied in an open, screen type roof top carrier… BAD for the dog’s eyes; BAD for the dog’s ears… BAD for the dog’s hydration… No wonder the dog lost its bowels on the car roof… The hunters use specially equipped trailers for their dogs… they are enclosed, except for air vents… they have food and water in them… The dogs are not exposed to wind, and dust particles… Poor doggie… Mitt should have been turned in for animal cruelty!!
Anybody remember how much LBJ was criticized for picking up his Beagles by their ears??? Why is Romney any better for doing what HE did to a beautiful Irish Setter???
farmgirl
Do you raise anything but crops on that “farm” of yours?
Cattle, hogs, chickens, goats, sheep and other farm animals are hauled all over the country in conditions that are probably not as good as a dog carrier on the roof of a car.
I am beginning to think that there is no “farm” in you, farmgirl!
I am betting that the humans on Romney’s trip needed some stops and breaks. I am sure that Romneys dog enjoyed same.
This is better treatment than the vast majority of animals receive, when traveling.
Well chas, the mittster DID fashion some sort of windshield for the FRONT of the carrier.
I guess he knew there was a potential problem, but he thought a quick and dirty fix would do it.
Kinda like bush in iraq.
In light of his bad judgement and rationalization after the fact, electing mitt would be like another EIGHT years of bushco.
Well, wasnt that nice of him, KFG… I remember from my motorcycle days, how much the wind whipped around the sides of the windshield… and really beat the crap out of me, even behind the windshield… My dogs ride in the car… one of them even goes nuts when I dont stop at McDonalds… she knows the arches… LOL
“This is better treatment than the vast majority of animals receive, when traveling.”
Paulie, you are SO predictable.
Two wrongs make a right? It isnt as bad as it could be? Typical republican rhetoric.
Yes paulie, I raise livestock. In fact, I spent the day yesterday killing and cleaning chickens. To put in my freezer.
They had a great life. A clean dry coop with fresh bedding, fresh cold water twice a day, the best “chicken chow” the co-op sells, the ability to go outside and scratch in the grass and dirt.
And when it was time for them to go? I PERSONALLY wielded the ax. They didnt suffer, it was quick, clean and humane.
And they didnt travel.
Really patiently for you paulie. This “how did they travel” question is at the heart of the “buy local” campaign.
If you buy your food from local producers, the animals are healthy and dont suffer from the travel. You can go to the farm and see how they are raised and treated.
One animal in a stock trailer hauled by the owner to the local locker plant is not NEARLY as traumatic as being crowed into a cattle pot and hauled hundreds of miles to the nearest giant packing plant.
Same for your veggies. Not only do we consume less fossil fuels when we shop and buy our produce that is in season and locally grown, they are also of higher quality. They are NOT bred for shipping, they are bred and grown for nutrition and taste.
Better for you and better for the environment.
But since you trade in oil and gas futures, I guess you think shipping things hundreds of miles as cheaply as possible without regard to the consequenses is just fine.
A farm animal and a dog are different things. Don’t forget that D-O-G and G-O-D are interchangeable for a reason. God loved dogs. They are His choosen animals. I would think twice before picking on a dog if I were you.
Romney needed one of those wind scoops on the front of the portable kennel – like they have on tractor-trailers. That way, the fecal matter would have been diverted to people behind him. :D
My grandpa used to (in the ’60’s) drive here from Reed Springs, MO, with his dog on the hood of his pickup. No idea how the dog stayed on, but it did.
I love dogs too.
I just think this particular issue is way overblown.
KFG, if you are a farm girl, you know how farm dogs are. Our herding dogs lived outside, very acclimated to heat, with food dumped into an old metal dish, I don’t think they ever went to the vet- if the dog got hit by the milk truck it either healed at home or we shot it to put it out. And they rode in the back of the truck and they loved it. They used to haul us kids in the back of the trucks too, and we loved it as well.
I went all the way from Joplin to Kansas City in the back of a camper covered truck- in the summer. That was in 1980.
Farm life is different and it always has been. It’s hard work, dangerous work, you’re in the heat all day long, most of the time we didn’t have air conditioning while doing any of it. The barn was full of bacteria and manure (oh dear), at any time I could have been kicked in the head by a cow.
I did go into the grain bin even though grandpa screamed at us about it. (Now I know why that was such a bad thing-holy crap!)
I’m just sick of everything being such a no-no. It’s amazing that we have billions of people in the world with all the dangerous things that could happen to us!
I love animals and I don’t want to see any of them abused.
Econ – you may be right. I have also seen dogs stick their heads out the window. However, I have also seen that after a while they ‘retreat’ beck inside the car.
I’d like to hear Hank’s take on this. He knows a heck of a lot more about dogs than I do.
MPS Thanks for the “You Tube” video. Can’t stop laughing!!!
Who gives a shit this is more than 20+ years ago
WILL STORY DOG HILLARY?
Death of Vince Fosterhttp://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/FOSTER_COVERUP/foster.html
And Other Mysterious Deathshttp://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.html
The difference lhg is that the Romney story is real (although probably irrelevant) while the Clinton-hating is based on fiction.
I know people who have died; that does not mean I killed them.
Is animal cruelty a Republican trait? I remember reading an article about Bu$h blowing up small animals with fireworks. Hey! Just asking.
Pmom, a farm dog living outside with shelter, food and water is completely different from tying a dog to the top of a car for a twelve hour drive.
A dog crate tied to the top of a car is not a camper topped ride. That is as good as inside, just hot.
This was plain stupid and uncaring. Monumental bad judgement. Good farmers dont treat ANY of their animals that way.
Stupid and cruel is stupid and cruel. And yeah, there are way too many farmers who are stupid and cruel.
But they dont run for preznit…
This thread is as stupid now as it was two weeks ago.
Who cares if the dog rode on the top of the car? I went to the lake today with my two dogs, and they enthusiastically rode in the back of my truck all the way there and all the way home. They wouldn’t DREAM of riding in the cab. In fact, when they do ride in the cab, they’re both prone to car sickness. With the wind blowing through their hair, they’re elated in the back.
Please…move on.