Canine Companion Reflects on Marathon

Boston Marathon Reax, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Quincy the Boston terrier shares his thoughts on how the Boston Marathon tragedy has affected him and his human running partner, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine."

Terrier: Punish pit bulls ... or their owners?

By: Daisy

As I was wrapping up my walk with my human friend Rich in Cambridge, Mass., the other day, we saw a neighbor, whose political suggestion for the day was, "Say no to measures banning pit bulls!"
While I was unable to contribute to the debate that followed, I thought Rich advocated my position very well, which is that some pit bulls are dangerous enough that they might require being banned.
Case in point: A few weeks ago, I was out with Rich on the North Cambridge bike path when we saw a pit bull with its owner ... or rather, without its owner. The dog had slipped out of his owner's grasp and fixed its eyes on me. In seconds, it caught up to me as Rich was trying to lift me up to safety. Luckily, it seemed all bark and no bite, as a trip to the Porter Square vet confirmed that it had not made contact with me. Rich did some barking himself at the owner when she caught up to her dog and, thankfully, led it away.
I have not seen either the dog or its owner since then, but this incident has made me more aware of the dangers of pit bulls ... or, to be fair, of the dangers of irresponsible people who own pit bulls.

Terrier Takes a Knee

Westie Vet Visit, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

It's been a while since Daisy the Westie last shared her thoughts on the political scene. That's because a medical emergency sent her to the local vet. She reflects on a tough stretch in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine." Thank goodness she, like millions of Americans, has health insurance!

Through a Glass Sharply

Political Pets-Counterterrorism, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

President Obama learns some valuable counterterrorism advice from an unlikely source in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine."

Terrier: Warren can't be 'Late to the Plate'

By: Daisy

A Daily Kos blogger has an amusing, albeit apparently fake, headline on a post from Monday: "Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's dog, Otis, comes out publicly against forced high-speed canine car roof incarceration." You can see a cute photo here -- also, apparently, not from the Massachusetts Senate candidate's website.
Too bad Warren (and Otis) didn't actually do this. For it shows a weakness of the Democratic candidate thus far: She is not quick enough to the draw ... and her opponent, Republican Sen. Scott Brown, is a master of aggressive tactics.

Newt's lasting imprint! Plus, a charity appeal

By: Daisy

It looks like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will end his presidential campaign on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Some of my human readers will ask whether Gingrich achieved anything by staying in the race so long. He wasn't even Mitt Romney's biggest challenger -- that was former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who dropped out two weeks ago. All Newt got out of overstaying his welcome was a second-place finish in Delaware yesterday -- one of five primaries in play, all of which Mitt swept.
Well, I would point out (not literally -- my paws aren't made for pointing) that Gingrich's campaign was significant for two reasons, both of which could be used by President Obama as promising venues to battle Romney in the general election.

Warren's pet strategy must go 'Beyond the Pond'

By: Daisy

Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for Senate in my home state of Massachusetts, has opened up a promising new front in her campaign against Republican incumbent Scott Brown. But it needs a little tweaking.
First, some background: On March 1, Brown scored kudos from one of my favorite organizations, the Humane Society, when it awarded him its Legislator of the Year for working on two bills: one protecting marine mammals in the Bay State (like the grey seals I've seen at Marconi Beach, Cape Cod) and the other prohibiting mistreatment of horses. Even though I'm a Progressive Pooch, my sense of fairness prompts me to commend Brown.
Well, one week later, Warren tweeted a photo of her Golden Retriever, Otis, at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, to show that she, too, cares about animals. (Thank you to the source who informed me about these developments!) As I mentioned, this is a promising first step ... but it needs some thought for future steps.
You see, yesterday I myself went to Fresh Pond with my human friend, Rich. It was a beautiful early-spring day and the pond looked like a perfect place for me to romp. The sight of a Golden Retriever (was it Otis?) playing on the grass led me to utter a plaintive "can-I-join-him" howl from the back seat of Rich's Corolla. When we disembarked, I was treated to the sight of three V-shaped squadrons of geese above us (yum!), and when I got onto the grass, two dogs rushed up to me for a sniff, one on each side. One was a German Shepherd at least twice my size!
Up to this point, all was OK. I was ready to give Professor Warren an A-plus for her choice of a dog walk. We dogs like visiting places of natural beauty -- not to mention areas where we can mingle with each other.
The trouble was, Fresh Pond is too much Cambridge ... at the expense of everywhere else. All around the two parking lots were signs reading: "RESERVED PARKING, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING, NO VISITOR PASSES! OR CAMBRIDGE WATER DEPT. PERMIT PARKING, VIOLATORS SUBJECT TO FINE/TOW." You might as well have put up a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign and a mean-looking Rottweiler to scare away the out-of-towners.
Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of Warren taking Otis out for some nature and socialization. Yet I feel she is sticking too much to familiar territory and not taking the extra steps that would increase her visibility. We all remember how that doomed the last Democratic Senate hopeful, Attorney General Martha Coakley, who sneered at Brown for doing voter outreach at Fenway Park.
To Warren, I would suggest that the next time Otis wants to go for a walk, take him somewhere different, where you can connect with voters outside Cambridge. If you like bodies of water, why not try Spy Pond in nearby Arlington ... the Mystic Lakes in Medford ... or Castle Island in South Boston? You might even venture to parts of the state that tend to get overshadowed by the east -- places like Central and Western Massachusetts. Surely the Worcester area must have some prime dog-walking areas ... and as for Western Mass., well, this is one of my favorite parts of the state, with my fond Westie Rescue memories out in Palmer before my move to Cambridge. I should also note that these regions actually have municipalities named "Warren" (Central Mass.) and "Otis" (Western Mass.). Check 'em out, Liz!
So, to recap: Professor Warren, you took a good first step with Otis in your neighborhood. Now it's time to take the next step by thinking outside the box ... or in this case, beyond the pond.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs regularly.

Holder 'Shepherds' USA Into Despotism

Holder-Shepherd Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

So now it's OK to use "targeted killings" against American citizens in the War on Terror? That's what Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech at Northwestern University this week. Time to raise a howl of protest, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Terrier: MA embraces Mitt, rejects revolutionary spirit

By: Daisy

Lately, I must confess, I've been a bit snappish. I have growled at my human friend, Rich, for daring to try to dislodge me from my sunny perch atop the bed (I think it was probably unintentional) ... and I have stuck my paws in the ground and refused to budge -- even slipped out of my leash -- when he has tried to redirect me on our morning walks on the North Cambridge bike path.
I believe this frustration is a sign of a deeper malaise: That Massachusetts, the so-called Cradle of Liberty, has dared to vote for its former governor, Mitt Romney, in the Republican presidential primary, one of 10 contests in play yesterday on "Super Tuesday."
Have Bay State Republicans forgotten their revolutionary roots? It was only last weekend -- on two occasions, actually -- that I got to scamper across the North Bridge in Concord, where, on April 19, 1775, a brave band of patriots fired "the shot heard 'round the world" against the tyrannic government of King George III of England.
While at the time I was more interested in frolicking in the snow and gazing at the birds near the Concord River, I am now saddened by how far Republicans have strayed from their state's revolutionary heritage. Their forebears rebelled against a tyrant king and Parliament ... yet the Republicans of today embraced an even bigger tyrant, a man who outrageously drove cross-country with his Irish setter Seamus in a crate atop the family station wagon in 1983. Talk about "Intolerable Acts"!
What is even more intolerable is that not only did the Bay State GOP vote for Romney, it did so by an overwhelming margin. Romney earned over two-thirds of the primary vote -- more than 70 percent -- and thus got all of the 41 Massachusetts delegates in play. Truly, Massachusetts Republicans acted like a dog that licked the hand of a bad master. After all, the New York Times reported, Romney "chose not to seek a second term as governor, announcing that decision more than a year before he left office and spending much of that final year outside the state." And the Boston Globe noted that the last time Romney ran for president, in 2008, "he regularly made Massachusetts the punch line in his remarks because of its liberal social culture. He told the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2007 that Massachusetts was 'sort of San Francisco East, Nancy Pelosi style.'"
Sigh ... I guess it's not like there were much better alternatives out there. This Republican contest is sort of like the lesser of four evils. But it did pain me to see Romney voting at a senior center in Belmont, right down the road from revolutionary Concord ... and celebrating his win at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, across the Charles River from my home in Cambridge.
And I leave you with this, faithful readers: If cars had existed in 1775 ... and Paul Revere had one on his famous "Midnight Ride" before the Battles of Lexington and Concord ... and his little doggie wanted to come along ... don't you think Paul, unlike Mitt, would have found a way to put the dog in the car and not on top of it?

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs regularly.

Should dogs court the cat vote?

By: Daisy

When two groups fight like cats and dogs, the wisest thing for them to do is keep their distance -- unless you're Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.
Facing a tight battle with his rival, Mitt Romney, in the Michigan primary Tuesday, Santorum reached out to the opposing side: Democrats! From an automated phone call to Wolverine State voters:

"Romney supported the bailouts for his Wall Street billionaire buddies, but opposed the auto bailouts. That was a slap in the face to every Michigan worker and we’re not going to let Romney get away with it. On Tuesday, join Democrats who are going to send a loud message to Massachusetts' Mitt Romney by voting for Rick Santorum for president."

Romney won the primary, but Santorum‘s gamble paid off. First, Michigan lets Democrats vote in its Republican primary. (I see this as akin to letting cats enter dog shows, but anyway…) Second, Democrats voted for Santorum over Romney, 53 percent to 18 percent. And thirdly, it seems Santorum wants to repeat this strategy in future primaries.
Romney reacted to Santorum’s Michigan ploy like a cornered cat. He yowled about "the dirty tricks of a desperate campaign." I agree. Whether it’s cats and dogs, or Democrats and Republicans, two sides with a history of bitter relations usually clash more than they cooperate … and those who try to reach out the to the other side deserve suspicion.
Take the orange cat I saw yesterday on the North Cambridge bike path. I took one step forward -- and the feline hissed and swatted the air with one paw. Moments later, the kitty darted across the bike path and through a fence. Although I am a peaceful Westie, I understand that this cat acted aggressively because in the past, my fellow dogs must have barked at it ... run after it … maybe even chased it up a tree.
Now take those bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler in 2008 and 2009 that Santorum’s campaign call supported. (We associate them with President Obama, but some also occurred under George W. Bush.) Santorum sang a different tune in the Arizona presidential debate last Wednesday:

"I in principle oppose government coming in and bailing out a sector of the economy or an industry with government dollars and with government manipulation of that market … Which is exactly what happened twice -- in 2008 and 2009."

I hope Democrats who voted Santorum on Tuesday slunk home with their tails between their legs. As for Santorum, if you’re going to court the other side, try to find some true common ground instead of pretending to back a policy you don’t really support. Otherwise you’ll look as silly as -- well, as a dog trying to approach a cat and getting hissed at as a result.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs weekly.

Santorum is GOP 'Yogi'

Santorum-Yoga, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Recently, a "doga" session was held in Boston for people and their dogs, to benefit the Animal Rescue League, with one yoga expert calling canines well-suited for yoga.
Well, judging from ex-Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's performance in the 20th GOP presidential debate, in Arizona on Wednesday, it looks like he's also good at stretching (that is, stretching the truth on No Child Left Behind). Read more in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Terrier: Romney, Gingrich must defend backyards

By: Daisy

This morning, when my ears detected an intrusive cat near my house, I went into DEFCON-4, barking from my perch atop the bed and then jumping onto the floor to continue my vocal barrage. The feline withdrew in defeat with a "Meow."
Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich face "home invasions" of their own ... in their native Michigan and Georgia, respectively. And if they want any credibility with voters (a tough sell in itself), they must win their home-state primaries next Tuesday.
In Michigan, it's ex-Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum on the prowl. The Detroit Free Press reports Romney holds a slim lead over Santorum in two polls -- and Santorum leads Romney in a third.
Meanwhile, Romney himself is encroaching upon Gingrich territory in Georgia. The Savannah Morning News reports Gingrich's lead has shrunk from double digits to just two points over Romney and three points over Santorum, based on a Monday poll.
Why does a mere Westie like myself know enough to defend the homestead, while an ex-governor like Romney and a former House Speaker like Gingrich don't get this? It shows these guys' policies are as unpalatable to their home states as Alpo is to my taste buds.
In Romney's case, he strayed too far afield, saying he opposed President Obama's bailouts of GM and Chrysler. And this from someone who grew up in metro Detroit!
Meanwhile, Georgians are so peeved with Gingrich that they might throw him to the wolves. Of the 11 "Super Tuesday" primaries, the Peachtree State is the only one where Gingrich leads, and not by much. He should show it more love, like singing his own version of "Georgia On My Mind" on YouTube. If he doesn't, Georgia primary voters will have Romney or Santorum on their mind.
I'm sure Romney and Gingrich want to bask in the sunbeam of their home on primary day, just like I'm doing right now. But you can't do it unless you ward off intruders first.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs weekly.

Pit Bull Out of Persia

Iran Pit Bull, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

In last month's Republican presidential debate in Tampa, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas said: "We're blockading (Iran). Can you imagine what we would do if somebody blockaded the Gulf of Meixco? That would be an act of war. So the act of war has already been committed and this is a retaliation."
Hmm ... Paul and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sound like a pair of pit-bull owners, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Upon reflection, Mitt NYC protest deserves more kudos

By: Daisy

Maybe I was so focused on rooting for my fellow Westies at the Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) dog show in New York City Tuesday that I got a little too hot under my collar at the anti-Mitt Romney demonstrators outside.
Led by the "Dogs Against Romney" advocacy group, 12 courageous people and several dogs (including a bull terrier and a pug) stood outside the show at Madison Square Garden for about a half-hour to call attention to Romney's putting his Irish setter atop the family station wagon on a cross-country trip in 1983.
In my Tuesday column, I didn't give the protestors much love, saying they should go where Romney is (check Arizona or Michigan, as both have GOP presidential primaries approaching) and not disrupt the venerable dog show. Well, the protestors didn't entirely get some love from passers-by either. The AP reported that one man yelled out "Dogs don't vote!" (No, but our human companions do.) Yet the group did get respect from the American Kennel Club.
"The AKC promotes responsible dog ownership," spokeswoman Lisa Peterson told the AP. "Putting a dog in a crate for car travel is the first step toward responsible dog ownership ... The second step would be to put that crate in a car."
So to "Dogs Against Romney," I say, good work yesterday. Even though a Peke won best in show and no Westies placed in the top four for best of breed, I feel hopeful for the future.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column runs weekly (and sometimes more, when she has a chance to reflect).

WKC Mitt protest misses the mark

By: Daisy

Let me begin by saying I'm no fan of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Anyone who puts his dog in a crate on the roof of their car on a cross-country drive -- as Mitt reportedly did in 1983 with the family Irish setter, Seamus -- well, Mitt, "you ain't no friend of mine," as Elvis Presley sang in "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog."
But the "Dogs Against Romney" protest planned for noontime today in New York City has picked the wrong location: The Westminster Kennel Club dog show. "Dogs Against Romney" is an advocacy group that says it doesn't endorse any particular presidential candidate ... but it also says today's protest will "serve to complement" the work of another group, "Pet Lovers for Obama." Well, these groups are barking up the wrong tree.
Today, when attention should be focused on who is best in show (I'm rooting for my fellow Westies, natch) the crowd at Madison Square Garden will see the distracting presence of demonstrators. Worse yet, these demonstrators are protesting a cause that has NOTHING TO DO with the dog show.
From the "Dogs Against Romney" website:

The protest is sponsored by Dogs Against Romney - and will seek to focus more public attention on the fact that Romney forced his dog to ride for 12-hours on the roof of his car - and even coldly hosed the dog down with water after he became ill and frightened, soiling himself - before driving for hours more - all while Romney's luggage rode inside the car.

Yikes! Yet from my cozy sunbeam atop the comforter on my bed in Massachusetts, let me offer the following objective observations to my human friends:
First, you might have some company on the barricades out on Seventh Avenue. PETA has protested the WKC show in the past, for a different and more relevant reason. "PETA's beagle brigade made sure that everyone heard the ugly truth about doggie beauty pageants and the dog-breeding industry," writer Lindsay Pollard-Post noted last year. "They kill shelter dogs' chances."
And second, while you're howling at the moon (or the sun, in this case), your quarry is getting away. It looks like Mitt is NOWHERE NEAR NYC. On Monday he tweeted he was soaking up the sun in Arizona. "Great event yesterday in Mesa," his campaign tweeted, "and look forward to being back for more campaigning & the CNN debate."
So I will sum up by telling "Dogs Against Romney" that if they really want to hound Mitt, they should go after the candidate ... and leave the show dogs alone.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column appears weekly.

'A Bone to Pick' with Foreclosure Settlement

Foreclosure Settlement, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

First the good news: The government reached a $25 billion settlement with five fat-cat banks (Ally Financial, Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo) for their foreclosure practices. Now the bad news: When that money gets divvied up, all that 750,000 or so people who lost their homes will get is a paltry $2,000 check each. Time to issue a howl of protest, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Obama shows Bo some love

President Obama is showing he would never put First Dog Bo on the roof of his car like GOP presidential aspirant Mitt Romney once did.
Monday, Obama adviser David Axelrod tweeted a photo of the president sitting with his Portuguese water dog in a vehicle. It looks like the Commander-in-Chief kept a firm grip while thoughtfully helping Bo look out the window. Axelrod added a description: "How loving owners transport their dogs."
Is Obama really showing some love here? It looks like the window is closed, which would be the responsible thing to do ... and Bo clearly has his leash on, but we don't know if he's harnessed to anything. The Edmunds.com car website has tips for driving with dogs, including the advice of expert veterinarian Dr. Kimberly May. "May says that the best restraint for dogs is a good harness and a seatbelt," Edmunds contributor Barbara Chuck wrote last year.
The photo is certainly a world away from what Romney did almost 30 years ago: put his Irish setter Seamus in a crate atop the family station wagon on a cross-country trip. Poor Seamus had some hygiene problems from his perch.
Obama has also unveiled a "Pet Lovers for Obama" site, picking up where one of Romney's GOP rivals, Newt Gingrich, left off. Gingrich has a "Pets With Newt 2012" site.
One wonders if Axelrod's, Obama's and Gingrich's moves all represent a double-dog dare to Romney to step forward and address his dog-on-roof controversy head-on.

Mitt victim of 'vast four-legged conspiracy,' terrier says

By: Daisy

My human friends tell me that when Newt Gingrich was the big dog in Washington, DC, in the mid-1990s, he and his Republicans hounded President Bill Clinton so much that an expression entered US politics: "A vast right-wing conspiracy."
Now another Republican, Mitt Romney, looks set to win a dogfight against Newt for the GOP nomination, and Mitt is facing overzealous attacks from what I call "a vast four-legged conspiracy."
On Tuesday, the Boston Herald reported on an Alabama man, Scott Crider, and his business, "Dogs Against Romney." Crider takes Mitt to task -- justifiably so, in my opinion -- for driving cross-country with his wife and five children in the family station wagon in 1983 ... with their Irish setter Seamus in a crate on top.
If you visit the "Dogs Against Romney" website, you can see that Crider has a bit of Mitt's business sense. He is marketing not only T-shirts and hoodies, but also ballcaps and buttons ... even doggie tees and bandanas. They come with slogans such as "Dogs Aren't Luggage" and "Never Forget Crate Gate." And part of the proceeds go to animal welfare groups, the site says.
The Herald describes Crider as "a political independent," but someone in the pack of Republicans must benefit from the attacks on Mitt, and I'd say that someone is Newt. Indeed, the Herald mentions a Newt attack ad that lists Mitt's howlers ... including defending driving with Seamus on the roof, and a rendition of "Who Let the Dogs Out?" (It reminded me of my own "I want to go out!" bark to my owners.)
Gingrich himself has a "Pets With Newt 2012" website, which lets supporters share pictures of their pets and themselves. But Newt comes across less like a pet person and more like someone who prefers seeing animals cooped up in cages. We learn that "(as) a teenager, Newt wanted to be either a zoo director or a vertebrate paleontologist," and we get a list of his top zoos (big surprise: they include the San Diego Zoo and Bronx Zoo). And the main photo on the web page is Newt not with a cute Westie like me ... not even with a cat ... but holding what looks like a pair of monkeys! Who has monkeys for pets???
I have criticized Mitt for his dog-on-the-roof decision -- it certainly showed poor judgment -- but I believe in second chances. (Good thing my owners do, too, after all the times I've wiggled off the same leash!) Crider's designs are cute, and Newt's schemes are creative, but I'm starting to feel some sympathy for Mitt. Why, Mitt even referred to himself as "a rodent and rabbit hunter." That warms my heart much more than any T-shirt ever could.

Daisy is a 9-year-old West Highland white terrier living in Cambridge, Mass. Her column appears weekly.

GOP Fenced-In on Immigration

Political Pets-Immigration, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

A pair of politically-savvy pets reveal the lack of logic in Republican immigration policy in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Pets Talk Turkey, Politics

Political Pets-Thanksgiving, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

A pair of pets -- a dog and a cat -- talk the political issues of the day over Thanksgiving dinner in the very first episode of "Capitol Hil Canine"!

Happy Thanksgiving to all.