Rick Santorum On Seamus The Dog: 'Issues Of Character Are Important In This Election'

WASHINGTON -- If the way Mitt Romney treated his dog 30 years ago is not an important part of the 2012 presidential election, Rick Santorum's campaign didn't get the memo.

Twice last week top Santorum adviser John Brabender reminded voters that Romney once drove to Canada with the family dog, Seamus, in a crate fastened to the roof of the car. And on Sunday, in response to a question from Jonathan Karl on ABC's "This Week," Santorum said the Seamus story is important.

"As far as Seamus the dog, look, all I would say is, the issues of character are important in this election, and we need to look at all of those issues and make a determination as to whether that's the kind of person you want to be president of the United States," Santorum said.

Many dog lovers believe that what is being called "Crate-Gate" thoroughly disqualifies the candidate. An online group called Dogs Against Romney has pushed the story ever since the Boston Globe first reported the 1983 incident in 2007. During the 12-hour trip, Seamus suffered diarrhea and Romney stopped briefly to hose off the car and the dog, then continued driving, according to the newspaper.

The Romney campaign does not have a sense of humor about the story and has kept quiet about it. The candidate has said that he loves his dogs and that Seamus enjoyed riding on the roof. As governor, Romney in 2006 proclaimed September "Responsible Dog Ownership Month" in Massachusetts.

Karl predicted that the Seamus story won't go away.

"All right, well, Seamus the dog -- I think we'll be hearing more about him going forward," he said.

Comments

[RepublicanDepression]

10:06 PM on 04/17/2012

UPDATE:

Today Romney answered whether he would treat the dog that way again:

Romney: "Certainly not with the attention its received."

Not because it's inhumane!

Not because it's WRONG!

Not because virtually everyone else knows it's wrong!

Not because it's ILLEGAL!

But because people noticed.

Because he got caught.

Enjoy your amoral nominee, Republicans.

[RepublicanDepression]

06:01 PM on 03/31/2012

" As governor, Romney in 2006 proclaimed September "Responsible Dog Ownership Month" in Massachusetts."

Wow!

The human Etch-a-sketch can even flip-flop on cruelty to animals!

[MJinCanada]

02:23 PM on 03/21/2012

The dog on the roof shows total insensitivity, true.

However, Ricky shouldn't be throwing stones. For four years (2007-20011) he sat on the board of Universal Health Services, collecting a fat paycheque, while this went on in UHS facilities:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/rick-santorum-uhs_n_1186443.html

UHS's long term record didn't scare him off: http://www.psychcrime.org/articles/Universal_Health_Services_Profits_Over_Patients.html

Why join the board of directors of such a company? Just for the money? It certainly wasn't to try to make a difference for the young people warehoused and neglected.

[LondonTownNY]

11:20 PM on 03/20/2012

Mitt Romney wants to take average Americans and strap us to the roof of his car on the long magical mystery tour on which the Mormon High Priest hopes to save America by instituting the 1% Economy and the 'No Billionaire Left Behind' policy. Thereafter he expects to become deified with a Presidential Library built in Utah befitting a Mormon God. Whatever we do, we should make sure not to "Romney" all over the roof of the car.

romney
(rom-ney) v.
1. To defecate in terror.

[cosmicman]

10:45 PM on 03/20/2012

I say let's jump in my pickup and take a road trip from New York to LA only stopping for gas with Mitt strapped to the hood faceing into the wind and if he get's the runs, we'll pull over once in awhile and hose him off. Sound like a plan?

[NWinTweener]

12:30 PM on 03/20/2012

If a case for weidness were to be made, Romney has his "SeamusGate", but Sanirarium has his "FetusGate" whereby child psychologists should be up in arms about his bringing home his deceased baby's fetus to spend the night with the whole family (details omitted out of good taste)

[mairs]

11:57 AM on 03/20/2012

Santorum isn't exactly passing his character tests with flying colors. He didn't contradict a woman he was speaking to who said Obama is a Muslim. He made it seem as if he agreed with her. And comparing Obama to Hitler in a round about but obvious way. You won't see Obama stooping to any of this trash. Santorum doesn't meet the standards of someone running for the presidency.

[Yank in France]

04:53 PM on 03/20/2012

I agree, mairs. The guy is not only malicious and unprincipled; he is doing and saying that will guarantee Mitt Romney the nomination. My bet is that he has blown any chance of winning Illinois and therefore the Republican nomination. We shall see ...

[wakawaka09]

08:34 AM on 03/20/2012

Seamus the dog was put in a crate cuz Romney was tired of him Santoruming in the back of the car.

[NeverForget History]

01:02 AM on 03/20/2012

I found the following cite to be a hoot:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/avantgo/2017761948.html

"To focus on Gov. Romney's dog, Seamus, is shameful," said Jeb Bradley, a former GOP congressman from New Hampshire. Bradley recalled talking about dogs with Romney as they drove between town-hall meetings last summer. "He was telling me about helping another dog he had deliver puppies. ... I walked away from it knowing that Gov. Romney is a dog lover."


Two males and neither one realize that males don't deliver. Females do. The only effort a male can make is to assist in delivery of ...............

[Yank in France]

04:55 PM on 03/20/2012

Maybe you are being a little bigoted, NeverForgetHistory. Romney's dog was perhaps a transgender dog?
-:)

[NeverForget History]

05:59 PM on 03/20/2012

Transgenders can't get pregnant. They have no uterus. Thus, not bigoted at all and just relating biological facts of life.:-)

[Str8shooter]

09:54 PM on 03/19/2012

I never thought I'd agree with Rick Santorum, and I don't exactly agree here, as I don't see this as a character issue as much as a judgment issue. From the first time I heard the story, it reeked of poor judgment, from the decision to subject a live animal capable of discomfort and fear to 10 hours on the roof of a car to the decision to hose down the dog and continue with a now wet animal, increasing its discomfort, and to demonstrate this sort of judgment in front of his children, one of whom had to call the dog's distress to his attention. If this is the judgment Romney brings to matters, I think THAT is cause for concern. And I didn't much care for his cavalier and cynical response when he dismissed the whole thing as "PETA being after me again," knowing that many people hear PETA and automatically disregard anything as serious. Only problem is PETA had nothing to do with breaking this story. It was strictly a cynical attempt to discredit the story by distoring and outright lying about the facts. So, dismiss it all you want, you who couldn't care less because it's just a dog, you think Mitt's being picked on, or you think the issue is superficial, but it reveals a serious lapse of judgment in someone who aspires to make critical national decisions. Let's hope he does a better job than he did with Crate-Gate.

[Rock Biologist]

08:18 PM on 03/19/2012

What I'd like to know is, how did the Boston Globe get the story in the first place? Did a station attendant drop the dime on the Romneys? Or was the event described to the reporter, confession-style? Quite aside from what happened, it boggles the mind that we know about it in so much detail.

[Tolkie]

08:47 PM on 03/19/2012

What is that Boston Globe link?

[JoAnn Kennedy]

06:50 PM on 03/19/2012

PETA is just going to go wild on this story

[RonFromNM]

03:54 PM on 03/20/2012

I usually consider PETA to be ridiculous, but in this case their acronym applies, "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". Was this animal treated ethically? No, don't think so. Hate to agree w/ Santorum on this one, guess a broken clock is right twice a day.

[JoAnn Kennedy]

06:40 PM on 03/19/2012

You know in some states it's illegal (and not safe ) to let your dog or children ride in the back of a pick up truck. And yet, a crate on top of the family car. I am astounded. Gynormous Obnoxious PUTZ

[dick freebird]

06:09 PM on 03/19/2012

I guess we know where the real man-on-dog action is....

[Chigirl60]

06:00 PM on 03/19/2012

Sure, Seamus liked riding on the roof of the car. What dog wouldn't? I wonder what else Seamus enjoyed about his life with the Romneys.

[JoAnn Kennedy]

06:52 PM on 03/19/2012

Like Seamus said, "Mitt I like the roof of the car, please put me in a crate and let's go to Canada." oh please !!!

[JoAnn Kennedy]

06:56 PM on 03/19/2012

a 12 hour trip, and the dog got sick