Romney, Seamus and His Doggy Woes: Will Canine Lovers Lick Away his Support?

It looks like Barack Obama's Democrat supporters and dog lovers are determined to keep the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Doggy issue alive; in any case till the presidential elections. Romney's treatment of his dog Seamus has been in the headlines quite often.

Now the group, Dogs Against Romney, founded in 2007, has called for a protest against Romney on Valentine's Day in front of the Madison Square Garden where the American Kennel Club's West Minister Dog Show will be held.

Romney managed to outrage dog lovers for his ill-treatment of the family dog Seamus during a vacation trip from Boston to Canada. Romney reportedly undertook a 12-hour ride with the family, forcing his Irish Settler in to a kennel attached to the roof.

The issue was first reported by the Boston Globe in 2007. The report said that Seamus, who was not used to the open rooftop ride, got frightened and messed up the roof, a problem that Romney was compelled to attend to. 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, report said.

Dogs Against Romney has said in their press release that it wants everyone to know how he illtreated his dog. The group says that everyone who believes dogs aren't luggage are welcome to participate in the protest event, to be held at noon on Feb. 14. The invitation is naturally extended to owners' dogs as well.

Though none of the Facebook groups endorse any presidential candidate officially, dogsagainstromney.com said in their press release that Though Dogs Against Romney does not officially endorse any candidate, the event will also serve to complement 'Pet Lover's for Obama' - these two organizations share a common goal: That public attention be brought to Mitt Romney's treatment of his family dog.

There are several groups on Facebook and other social media that have been formed to protest against Romney's abuse of the dog. The Facebook page of Dogs Against Romney is liked by more than 25,000 people while there are around seven groups with the same theme.

The issue had cropped up during the 2008 primaries and again on several occasions during the GOP campaign. Romney's GOP rival Newt Gingrich too has mentioned the pet abuse in one of his attack ads.

It seems like Romney's Seamus trouble is not going to end any time soon as his opponents and dog lovers believe the issue has the potential to bring down a sizable portion of his support.