I guess we know how Representative Kucinich voted on the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. Isn’t it nice to hear some positive news on the Congressional front?
Thanks to Openers: The Plain Dealer Politics Blog for this inside look at one of the House of Representatives’ most humane people.
The Kuciniches go to the dogs
Posted by Sabrina EatonCleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich and his wife, Elizabeth, have adopted three dogs in the past year, to whom they feed raw carrots as treats, according to a cover story in the latest edition of “Cleveland Canine,” a 20,000-circulation free magazine distributed through pet-related businesses in the Cleveland area.
The vegetarian couple also feed the dogs fruit and left-over salad, says the article, which recounts how the Kuciniches acquired beagles Harry and Lucy at local animal shelters, and adopted a black cocker spaniel named George who burst into their kitchen one day as Kucinich headed to the airport to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. They named George after a British king, not an American politician.
“Dennis likes to take the ‘boys’ out back and throws balls to them,” Elizabeth Kucinich told the magazine. “George has a particularly good knack of catching balls in mid-flight.”
In addition to citing the congressman’s honors from animal rights groups, the magazine reveals that Elizabeth Kucinich once worked in her native England for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and became known as the “Dog Queen” during a six-month stint in India where she fed wild dogs.
Kucinich said it’s possible the family dogs might travel the country with him during his campaign for president, but he’s still trying to figure out the logistics. When the congressman and his wife are out of town, a dog-sitter they call “Aunt Clara” takes care of their pets.
Avon-based “Cleveland Canine” isn’t available online, but Kucinich fans around the country can email owner/editor Brenda Bals at clevelandcanine@yahoo.com for a copy of the article.
Kucinich kept busy on the pet front this month by sending a letter to the Canadian company that sold tainted pet food throughout North America. His letter asks questions about the episode and requests that pertinent “internal documents, correspondence, e-mail, records, data and information” about the incident be forwarded to the Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee Kucinich chairs.
