Rescue dog traded in: Gov. Rick Scott fesses up on missing Lab

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's yellow Lab, featured in his pre-election family photos disappeared, was traded in for another because, said the governor, the dog “scared the living daylights” out of people.

|
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott had his rescue dog traded in after the yellow Lab didn't get along well with others. Here, four dogs share a bed at an Alaskan dog rescue organization, Jan. 4.

So your children – and constituents – want you to get a family dog

Sounds like a dandy idea, right? They’re cute, loyal, teach responsibility to the kids and look awesome in a pre-general-election photo shoot. (The dogs, that is. Not necessarily the voters.)

But before you head off to the SPCA or start browsing all those doggy photos on Petfinder.com (you’re getting a rescue dog, of course – even the liberals can’t mess with you on that one), take a moment to ponder the lesson of Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Reagan.

That would be Labrador retriever Reagan, mind you, not President Ronald.

Over the past few days, a media storm has been brewing around the first term GOP governor’s dog status. 

See, soon after Gov. Scott won the Republican nomination for governor in 2010, he delighted voters by publicly acquiring a cute yellow Lab.  Thousands congratulated him on his choice to take home a rescue dog, rather than a pup from a breeder, a la President Barack Obama.

(Yes, the Labrador retriever, dog of the people. Not like those Democratic, non-shedding Portuguese Water Dogs.)

Scott held an online contest to name the animal, and then happily shared the winning moniker with his Facebook friends.

“The Scott family is proud to announce that the name (chosen by you) for their newly adopted pup is Reagan! Thanks to everyone who participated in the fun contest,” read his Facebook announcement.

But soon after Scott was sworn in as governor in January 2011, Reagan disappeared from public view. He was neither seen nor photographed. The press – thank goodness for the press – was on the case, but did not get satisfactory answers until this week. 

Confronting Scott himself, reporters from the Tampa Bay Times demanded information on Reagan’s whereabouts. 

The grudging answer: Soon after the dog came home, the Scott family decided they needed to give him back. You know, to go live on a farm somewhere.  Or something.

(Anyone else have memories of similar explanations? Hands?)

In a further elaboration, which Democrats everywhere must love, Scott explained that Reagan “scared the living daylights” out of people. They had no choice but to return him.

It's just one example of the perils of dog ownership. Remember the Obama-Romney dog wars during the presidential campaign, and that story of how former Gov. Mitt Romney put his dog on the top of the car for road trips? Things to ponder, I tell you, before you start loading up on goodies at PetSmart.

Back in Florida, dogged reporters are still trying to figure out where, exactly, Reagan is today.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson said that Scott and wife Ann have a sweeter-tempered rescue Lab at home now. Her name is Tallee.
 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Rescue dog traded in: Gov. Rick Scott fesses up on missing Lab
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/Modern-Parenthood/2013/0116/Rescue-dog-traded-in-Gov.-Rick-Scott-fesses-up-on-missing-Lab
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe