General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: As a Dog owner for most of my life--I can't even fathom strapping my dog on top of my car in a cage. [View all]karynnj
(59,500 posts)Per the story, Romney, his wife and 5 kids AND THEIR LUGGAGE were loaded into the car. Certainly luggage for 7 people would take more space than the dog.
I think this story will have an impact on those who are not overtly political. I know that there were people who liked John Kerry better after hearing the rather sweet story of him saving his daughter's hamster from drowning - likely as much to save his two young daughters the pain of seeing him drown. The Romney story worked in the complete opposite direction. The strange reflection of the Boston Globe writer that hosing down the dog and car and continuing showed Romney's cool calm decision making is unlikely to be most people's reaction.
This shows a man, who really had little concern for the dog's discomfort. If he somehow did not think it would be abusive to begin with, he should have realized it when the dog got sick. His alternatives then would have been limited and very inconvenient - probably cleaning the dog well and putting him inside - no matter how crowded it was. (If too crowded, they could quickly rent a second car and split the kids and luggage.)