One day he was just a dog, the next, he was the bane of Mitt Romney's existence.
Seamus, the precious Irish Setter pup of the Romney family, has taken the world by storm. Word recently got out of Seamus' misadventure in the presidential hopeful's past.
This pooch is having the worst week ever.
As the old tale goes, little Seamus was a pup who loved the rush of wind in his ears. He enjoyed it so much,the Romneys would stick man's best friend in a crate strapped atop their car and drive 12 hours from Boston to Canada.
Word recently got out on Politicker, a political website, one of the Romney sons let it slip off-the-record Seamus skedaddled once the family parked at their final destination.
Previously, Romney's wife, Anne, had claimed Seamus went on to live to a "ripe old age," according to The Toronto Star. Something smells doggy.
Many parties have cried foul at the Romneys' care of their pup, claiming this is surely an indicator the presidential elect is unsympathetic toward the underdog.
Though the event took place in 1983, the story has gained recent traction thanks to two forces: the Westminster Dog Show and New York Times columnist Gail Collins.
The Seamus-inspired movement, "Dogs Against Romney" made a special appearance at the Westminster Dog Show this week. About a dozen angry people held up signs reading "Mitt is Mean" and "I Ride Inside."
The campaign has its own website and claims 30,000 members. Seamus, wherever you are, there's an abundance of treats guaranteed in your name.
Collins apparently also has a vendetta against the presidential-hopeful. She's mentioned the Romney incident numerous times since his campaign began and tosses references to Seamus' story around in her column regularly. In a Feb. 1 piece, she questioned whether Romney would ever plan ways to fix the safety net to benefit the poor.
"Be real. This is the guy who drove to Canada with the family dog strapped on the roof," she wrote. Woof.
This week, while pristine puppies were primed for the Best in Show prize, the memory of Seamus lived on in protests and on poster boards.
Nothing maintains the memory of someone like writing, so Seamus will also forever be immortalized in Collins' columns.
Regardless, Seamus, wherever you're frolicking (hopefully in a Canadian field somewhere), you're having the worst week ever.
Though Romney might publicly be taking the heat, it's you who felt it in the first place. We know you love your master, even if he might have taken the phrase "catch some fresh air" a little too literally.
Here's to you, Seamus the Irish Setter, and to hoping your dog days aren't over just quite yet.
