Pawlitically Correct

Author: Hilary

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 @ 5:10 pm

Recently, Louis’ daddy and I encountered one of the biggest relationship hurdles - politics; specifically the 2008 presidential election. Originally from Washington D.C., I spent my formative years entrenched in political issues, lobbyists, vetoes and candidates. I even volunteered with a number of non-for-profits on Capitol Hill.

After moving from D.C., I pretty much shunned the whole political scene in favor of, well, dogs.

My husband is highly political and has been following the primaries with the intensity of a scent hound tracking prey. Last night, after realizing I was so out of the loop, I was unable to hold an intelligent discussion regarding the election with him, I began trolling the internet in search of information.

I stumbled upon a goldmine - www.mypoliticalpet.com. This fantastically funny website offers the ability to ‘register’ your pet to vote, follow issues and compare candidates. You can see Louis’ profile by clicking here. Talk about appealing to a whole new breed of voters!

In addition to relevant political news, the site offers up detailed information on issues that affect American pets and animals. Detailed on the site are the Federal Pet Safety and Protection Act, the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act, the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act and the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Read all about these issues and more in detail by clicking here.

Its great that imaginative politicos out there are finding ways to appeal to all types of people, finding ways of relating to untapped markets. The quickest way to many people’s heart is through their pets. My Political Pet combines pets and politics while raising funds for animal shelters. The site has been featured in the Miami Herald’s Crazy for Critters blog (click here to read the article).

As animal nutrition is a passion of mine, I am hopeful that pet loving politicos and organizations such as this one will call upon government regulators to raise the standards for pet food manufacturing, requiring the use of human-grade products in pet foods and calling upon the FDA and AAFCO to investigate the reality of their minimal animal feed standards and the impact it is having on the health of our pets.

Finally, in Animal Planet’s blog, Pet Trends with Maggie and Dixie, a recent post details the companion animals of each of the candidates! Click here to see which candidates snuggle up with a pup or two after a long day on the campaign trail.

Now, an informed, registered voter, I am more prepared for election day and am happy to have found a way to relate to the election (and my husband) through my love of dogs!