Mitt Romney: I Wouldn't Put Dog On The Roof Again

[doggie]

Well only because of the political ramifications. Not because it was a bad thing to do. and the wife fully agrees with him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/1 ... 29925.html

Mitt Romney, in his sit-down interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, addressed the Seamus controversy once more, this time conceding that he wouldn't strap the dog crate to the top of the car because of the political fallout that would ensue. This is the exchange per a transcript released by the network.

DIANE SAWYER: As we move away from this primary campaign into the next phase -- again, on Yahoo, we got two questions most often, first about Seamus -- which as you know is out there forever -- would you do it again?

MITT ROMNEY: Certainly not with the attention it's received.

The answer represented a bizarre bowing to the political realities of the Seamus story. But while Romney was unwilling to risk again what has become one of the more perplexingly vexing issues haunting his campaign, his wife defended the family's treatment of its Irish setter, in the following manner:

DIANE SAWYER: You said it was the most wounding thing in the campaign --

ANN ROMNEY: It's crazy.

DIANE SAWYER: -- so far.

ANN ROMNEY: The dog loved it. The dog was, like --

DIANE SAWYER: But the dog got sick, right?

ANN ROMNEY: Once, he -- we traveled all the time and he -- he ate the turkey on the counter. I mean, he had the runs. But -- he would see that crate and, you know, he would, like, go crazy because he was going with us on vacation. It was to me a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for t -- in -- in -- in a kennel for two weeks, so.

[debrand]

The Romenys are not poor. They have commented before that they have several cars. Why not buy a vehicle large enough to hold everyone?

[doggie]

I guess the dog is like a welfare recipient in their way of thinking they don't deserve dignity.

[thoughtful]

I hope the people who make these do lots of business!

http://www.cafepress.com/dogsagainstromney.617691839

[Austin]

So he just wouldn't do it again because of how much attention it's received?

[luckylibrarian]

Putting a dog in a kennel, which is climate-controlled and safe, is far more humane than placing him in a carrier strapped to the roof of the car. I don't believe that the dog wasn't terrified once the car started going 65 mph.

[Minerva]

Putting a dog in a kennel, which is climate-controlled and safe, is far more humane than placing him in a carrier strapped to the roof of the car. I don't believe that the dog wasn't terrified once the car started going 65 mph.

This. Unless your dog finds kennels upsetting (which mine would). How about not insisting on having your little road trip when your dog is so sick you hesitate to be in close quarters when them? I hate it when people treat animals like property.

[PennySycamore]

So he just wouldn't do it again because of how much attention it's received?

Yeah, the negative attention is the only reason Mittens wouldn't do it again. It's not like it's cruel to the dog, is it? A crate is supposed to be a cozy den for a dog. Even if Seamus normally liked his crate, it quickly became an instrument of terror to him once the car was zipping down the highway.

There's a big question as to what happened to Seamus after the trip. According to one story, he ran away and in one story, he went to live with relatives "on their farm". Saying that a dog has gone to live on the farm is shorthand for euthanasia.

[Aeryn406]

If the dog is comfortable being left at the sitter's, then it's your duty as a pet parent to shop around and find a friendly, home-like boarder where they'll get spoiled silly for a week while you're on vacation. But, that would involve work going toward someone - correction: something - that they think doesn't deserve special treatment. You know, following the whole "dominion over the earth and all living on it" philosophy. What a Jack-hole.

[Dark Matters]

Once again, clueless Mittens (and his wife) don't seem to understand empathy and compassion for those who are weaker/vulnerable. If they can't make an effort to care about their own dog, how could anyone think they would make an effort to care about the less fortunate citizens of our country?

[sugaree]

I might be on Romney's side here (and I certainly have little opportunity to type those words in that order). To a dog, what's the difference between being strapped on a roof going 65 mph or having your head hanging out the window going 65 mph? So, the dog might have been scared and the Romney's might be sociopathic animal torturers, or the dog might have been as happy as all the other dogs out that willfully and joyfully thrust their smiling doggie faces into the wind, and the diarrhea was a coincidence.

There's just no proof the poop was pooped in fear. It may have just been poop.

This is the part of the story, as originally told, that gets me:

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. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management.

Well, of course he pulled over and cleaned up the poop. That's not top-notch crisis management. That's not a sign of leadership skills or anything. That's what you do with poop.

[Guest Anonymous]

Mitt isn't sorry he planted poor Seamus on the roof of his car, he's just sorry that the story caught up with him.

[slickcat79]

I might be on Romney's side here (and I certainly have little opportunity to type those words in that order). To a dog, what's the difference between being strapped on a roof going 65 mph or having your head hanging out the window going 65 mph?

I would say the biggest one is probably choice. The dog can put their head out the window if they want, and bring it back in when they want. There's also more room to move around on the seat of a car than secured in a carrier. Yeah, the dog might have been okay with it, but it was a really long drive, not just a quick trip to the vet or something :?

[B5SnowDog]

The dog is also more likely to survive an accident if he's secured inside the vehicle instead of outside the vehicle.

[sugaree]

Sure. But the dog doesn't know that. It's not going to have any effect on the dog's state of mind.

[Antigone]

Ugggh. Sev and I took our two dogs with us in a car on a long drive (12 hours one way!) and used a crate inside the car. It was a pain, but putting the dogs on the roof never entered our mind, even if they did get sick...plus, the crate actually can help if they get sick, limiting the mess until you can actually pull over to clean it up and febreeze the crap out of it.

We even rented a HUGE tahoe for the purpose, so we could fit everyone in it comfortably, both furry and human.

[CanadianHippie]

Sure. But the dog doesn't know that. It's not going to have any effect on the dog's state of mind.

Seriously? You think a dog doesn't know the difference between being confined to a car with the option of sticking his head out the widow and being strapped to the top of the car? Animals are not that stupid. The dog is gonna know something isn't right. Carrier or not he's going to feel far more exposed on top of the car than he would feel inside the car where it is, you know, quieter and warmer and less likely to fall off the vehicle...

[Rosie]

Seriously? You think a dog doesn't know the difference between being confined to a car with the option of sticking his head out the widow and being strapped to the top of the car? Animals are not that stupid. The dog is gonna know something isn't right. Carrier or not he's going to feel far more exposed on top of the car than he would feel inside the car where it is, you know, quieter and warmer and less likely to fall off the vehicle...

+1

Any creature riding on the roof of a vehicle going 65mph knows that he isn't in a secure situation.

[Minerva]

+1

Any creature riding on the roof of a vehicle going 65mph knows that he isn't in a secure situation.

This. Another difference: in the car they're with their family. Dogs are way more likely to choose to put themselves in unfamiliar situations when their "pack" is with them.

[thoughtful]

Dogs riding with their heads out the window, especially at highway speeds, is also not OK. It may be a cliche of countless commercials, but it is actually quite dangerous. Just about every veterinary or training source I know of will say the same.

But putting a dog in a crate on top of the car is just bizarre. and even more dangerous.

[PennySycamore]

This. Another difference: in the car they're with their family. Dogs are way more likely to choose to put themselves in unfamiliar situations when their "pack" is with them.

My three dogs are with their family as I type. We just had a thunderstorm roll through so I've got a dachshund beside me quivering, a Shih Tzu on the other side and my terrier at my feet. The dogs just feel more secure that way. One of the cats, btw, is likely under the sofa. We know the storm's over when he comes out.

[sugaree]

Okay, so on the roof, dog is exposed to the elements, and separated from the pack. And yet I see so many happy dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks.

I'm not saying the unusual Romney transport system is a good idea. No, it was no more of a good idea than a dog unsecured in the back of a pickup truck or a dog riding with his head out of the window.

And I'm not saying that the dog wasn't scared--certainly he may have been. But really, I can conceive of a dog enjoying the ride.