After 2010 campaign, Gov. Rick Scott gave back dog Reagan

[onehandle]

Source: Tampa Bay Times



TALLAHASSEE — Shortly after winning the GOP nomination in 2010, Rick Scott announced to the world through Facebook that his family had rescued a Labrador Retriever. And, with help from his Facebook friends, Scott gave it a name: Reagan. "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 Scott's announcement on his Facebook page.

Commenters were ecstatic, congratulating Scott for getting a rescue dog instead of a pure bred like Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog President Barack Obama adopted in 2009. And friends saluted the dog's name, an homage to former President Ronald Reagan. "What a great looking dog! Glad you rescued him. Reagan will like the Governor's Mansion!" wrote Christine Haut of Fort Myers. "Welcome Reagan! What a great family," wrote Debbie Wiest, a friend of Ann Scott's for 40 years. But where is Reagan today?

The last time Reagan made the newspapers was the day before Scott was sworn in as governor in January 2011. John Kennedy, then a reporter for the News Service of Florida, reported seeing the governor-elect walking Reagan in Tallahassee. Asked last week what had happened to the dog, Scott's current and former communications directors refused to answer. Brian Burgess, communications director during the campaign and for more than a year after Scott took office, now holds a similar position for the state GOP. When a Times reporter asked him where the dog is, Burgess said he thought it "weird'' that two Times reporters would contact him six minutes apart with questions dating back to the 2010 campaign.

But he wouldn't say where the dog was and accused reporters of "surfing some old Facebook or website pages.'' At one point an exasperated reporter asked Burgess if he had killed the dog, and Burgess denied ever killing a dog, but still wouldn't say where Reagan was. The governor's staff obviously is aware of publicity that dogged Republican Mitt Romney last year over reports that he once tied his dog, Seamus, to the top of a car while going on a family vacation.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/after-2010-campaign-gov-rick-scott-gave-back-dog-reagan/1270497

[TwilightGardener]

1. Reagan! What'd they do to ya, boy?

[Sancho]

2. The worst governor ever!!

[catbyte]

4. Poorest excuse for a human being ever. What a sleazy sack of shit.

[kiranon]

3. We rescued a lab that looks a lot like Reagan in May 2012.

The rescue people said he had been on his own for quite awhile. Time for Gov. Scott to come clean on where the dog is. Most labs look a lot alike so doubt we have Reagan but who knows.

[Hekate]

5. The Obamas were given Bo as a gift by Ted Kennedy, who loved that breed

Commenters were ecstatic, congratulating Scott for getting a rescue dog instead of a pure bred like Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog President Barack Obama adopted in 2009.

There were a lot of snarky comments here at DU over Bo being a pure bred and expensive dog instead of a mutt from the city pound. The thing is, Sasha has significant allergies and the family had never had a dog before at all. Sasha's parents were concerned about that more than the optics of getting a rescue dog, and I can't blame them at all. It was Senator Kennedy who broke through their resistance by giving them a puppy from a breed he himself had owned.

So like Rick Scott and his GOP followers to try to capitalize on sentimentality of the shallowest sort....

[SunSeeker]

6. Poor dog, used as a campaign prop then never heard from again.

Of course, Repukes have been known to use babies as campaign props, so this should not come as a shock.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. "Repukes have been known to use babies as campaign props"

And mothers -

[SunSeeker]

8. LOL. Yeah, wonder what ever became of her....

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. Probably shipped off to an old folks home (the kind you see on 60 Minutes).

[kiranon]

10. Time to make up flyers and search for Reagan. Do they still put

pictures on milk cartons? Will need time and place of disappearance/abandonment/return and any distinguishing marks and volunteers to do the setting up of the search efforts. Perhaps Governor Scott could supply more photos of his dog. Everyone loves a contest and the prize would be finding Reagan and seeing whether his behavioral issues have been solved and he is leading a happy life. By now, I'm sure, Reagan would be a Democrat. Sarcasm Alert

[adigal]

11. Reagan probably ended up in a gas chamber

Like many other dogs in Florida do.

[smirkymonkey]

12. Poor sweet dog! First used as a prop by Rick Scott and then named Reagan.

How much shame can a poor dog take? He is such a sweetie - he doesn't deserve to be used like this. I hope he find a nice home with a loving family.

My heart just breaks for that little angel!