Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has been hounded by accusations of animal cruelty, took another jab from the Obama administration today. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, hopes to win the Republican nomination, and the Florida primary is today.
On a Twitter post, White House senior advisor David Axelrod featured a picture of his boss, President Barack Obama with his pet Portuguese Water Dog, Bo, in a limousine. The stinging Tweet read, “How loving owners transport their dogs.”
Charges of animal cruelty have been hurled at Romney after it was revealed that in 1983 he transported his family dog, an Irish Setter named Seamus, in a rooftop kennel on his car for a 12-hour road trip. Massachusetts law prohibits transporting an animal in such a manner.
On an interview with Fox News, Romney claimed that he didn’t know such an action was illegal, much less inhumane. “I don’t know that there was any problem with that in terms of the Massachusetts law,” Romney told Chris Wallace of Fox News, “I love my dog. We’ve had lots of dogs over the years.”
Axelrod’s Tweet could cut both ways, though, as it is strongly advised that you should use a safety harness when transporting your dog inside a vehicle. Bo does not appear to be wearing such a safety device in the picture.
