Distressed American

Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation - TIME

The reporter intended the anecdote that opened part four of the Boston Globe's profile of Mitt Romney to illustrate, as the story said, "emotion-free crisis management": Father deals with minor — but gross — incident during a 1983 family vacation, and saves the day. But the details of the event are more than unseemly — they may, in fact, be illegal.

The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney station wagon. How it got there: Romney strapped a dog carrier — with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter, in it — to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario, which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest.

Massachusetts's animal cruelty laws specifically prohibit anyone from carrying an animal "in or upon a vehicle, or otherwise, in an unnecessarily cruel or inhuman manner or in a way and manner which might endanger the animal carried thereon." An officer for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responded to a description of the situation saying "it's definitely something I'd want to check out." The officer, Nadia Branca, declined to give a definitive opinion on whether Romney broke the law but did note that it's against state law to have a dog in an open bed of a pick-up truck, and "if the dog was being carried in a way that endangers it, that would be illegal." And while it appears that the statute of limitations has probably passed, Stacey Wolf, attorney and legislative director for the ASPCA, said "even if it turns out to not be against the law at the time, in the district, we'd hope that people would use common sense...Any manner of transporting a dog that places the animal in serious danger is something that we'd think is inappropriate...I can't speak to the accuracy of the case, but it raises concerns about the judgment used in this particular situation."

Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was less circumspect. PETA does not have a position on Romney's candidacy per se, but Newkirk called the incident "a lesson in cruelty that was ... wrong for [his children] to witness...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: that alone should have been sufficient indication that the dog was, basically, being tortured." Romney, of course, has expressed support for the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques when it comes to terrorists; his campaign refused to comment about the treatment of his dog.

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freckles

I'm trying very hard to see the point of this.

justoneman

It says nothing about witnesses seeing the dog on this trip. Maybe the dog was inside the car the entire trip and the cage traveled ontop so they could have it where they were staying.


1983?? Boy are you hurt'n to find something wrong!

justoneman

Probably this is a story of a wonderful family on a vacation together. The children and the dog. Instead of putting the dog in a pound while they went they treated the dog wonderfully on their family trip together. They brought his cage with them so the dog had his familiar sleeping quarters.


What a nice sounding family. I like this Mitt Romney even more now. Thanks for the story.

Distressed American

I'd say it is pretty unlikely that the dog shit all over the outside of the car from inside of it.

You really are stretching for a weak defense of this clear lack of judgement and lack of compassion. I consider both qualities pretty high on my list of desirables for a candidate. He sure showed neither here.

If you have an issue with the date tell it to TIME mag. I got the article new off of their site.

justoneman

How do we know dog shit was on the window of the car? Did someone taste it? If it really was dog shit, I certainly can invision how dog poop from the cage could have gotten on the car during a drive. Either way, you really need more proof than some allegation of poop on a car...don't you?

Distressed American

Nice try to whitewash the incident. Too bad that is not how it happened. Here's more from the original source:

Journeys of a shared life - The Boston Globe

Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family's hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon's roof rack. He'd built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.

Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it.

The ride was largely what you'd expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the ''white whale.''


As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ''Dad!'' he yelled. ''Gross!'' A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.


As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, 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.


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Why so desperate to deny the basic facts? Don't like what it shows about the guy's judgement or compassion? Maybe it is his disregard for the law that you are trying to cover for?

justoneman

Ok I read the article completely. He built a windscreen to block the wind. How is this different than a person riding on a motercycle? It is a mountain out of a molehill. Most dogs like car rides and sticking their head out the window. He probably loved it.

Distressed American

Loved it so much it shit itself. Right?

Massachusetts's animal cruelty laws specifically prohibit anyone from carrying an animal "in or upon a vehicle, or otherwise, in an unnecessarily cruel or inhuman manner or in a way and manner which might endanger the animal carried thereon."

Your desperate attempts to cover for Mitt's clear lack of judgement, lack of compassion and lack of respect for the laws is telling indeed.

...of J.Temperance

It wasn't just on the window, it was on the roof of the car as well....and the dog carrier with the dog in it was strapped to the roof.

So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out....12 hour drive, dog in carrier strapped into the roof, dog needs to do his ablutions during 12 hour drive....due to moving vehicle and twists and turns and bumps in the roads, ablutions go from dog carrier onto the roof and down onto the windows.

So what can you envision how else dog ablutions get all over a car roof and windows....pray tell?

And this has got to be one of the most unsavory threads ever.

Dammit DA, I was just about to go out for dinner as well....I guess chocolate ice-cream is out for my dessert