The Wonky Bonkers contest was so much fun, and we had so many great answers.  Unfortunately, not every Dogster could be a winner.  Many pups were left toyless.

So, when the fine folks at Fat Cat offered up some political toys for a giveaway I couldn’t refuse.

The folks at Bamboo have come up with Political Animals,  toys that look like the candidates.  For your chewing pleasure.

North Hills, Calif. - So…the race is on for the White House. But Fat Cat’s got some home-grown candidates of its own that will be seen campaigning all over the country! And who knows… some of ‘em may even end up in the White House! (Well, most likely on the floor, but who’s counting?).

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Political Animals^TM from Fat Cat, Inc. Ok, this is who you think it is. The dogs have voted and the folks at Fat Cat have listened! With firm stances on planting more trees to wee on, building more dog parks and increased tax breaks on kibble, we’ve given our dogs the chance to chomp the vote in our next election!

The contest is not political, it’s all about the toys.  I’m not looking to find out who you’re voting for. I don’t need to know why you like, or dislike, a candidate.

All I want to know is if you won, would you choose to chew a toy that looks like the candidate you would or wouldn’t vote for?  Leave your answer, in the comment section, and I will choose 4 winners at random on Friday, October 10. Gook luck!

The Obama article was posted  simply for the express purpose of letting  his dog loving supporters know it’s out there.

Since there is no Canines For McCain, if someone starts one please let me know, here’s what I have found for his dog loving supporters. After all…turnabout is fair play.

There was a poll done recently to find out which candidate pet owners were more likely to support. The winner, ladies and gentlemen, was McCain.

An AP-Yahoo! News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.

“I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person - caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

Taylor, who described herself as a retired stay-at-home wife, owns two cats, Lady Jane Taylor and Mr. Tommy Katz.

Richard Powell, 79, of Spokane, Wash., whose dog passed away last fall, said if a person owns a pet that “tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.”

He said pet ownership wouldn’t make a difference in his vote, but if a president owns a pet, then “I’m glad to know they like animals.”

Christina Duffney, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club, said “you usually connect with things that you’re familiar with, so that could be a part of” why pet owners lean toward McCain.

It also found that cat lovers lean towards McCain as well, that’s for all the Catsters out there.

If your pup wants to show his support for a candidate they can order one of these cool looking shirts, available for both candidates.

I usually keep politics, religion, breed, and dog food preference out of my commentary.  However,  the great debate 2008 is just too hard to ignore.

Staying on top of the news also means keeping up with the latest websites and reporting on them. As for my personal opinion, I prefer to be like Switzerland, neutral.

There’s a new site out for the dog loving Obama supporters, Bark Obama!, where you can get up to the minute political news and commentary.

Go check out what they’re barking about.  Feel free to give me a woof back with your opionions, please keep those wagging tongues civil.

What a historic week in politics.  First we had the Democratic National Convention getting all the dems pumped up by nominating the first African American for the presidency, and today we have John McCain lighting a fire under the GOP faithful with his suprise VP pick of Sarah Palin.

The question now is how will this week’s activities affect the voting public nationally? No, I’m not curious about the effect on people, but rather on our dogs’ voting sensibilities. But where oh where could I find out what that effect is?

Look no further than TheDogVote.com where your dog gets a chance to vote for his or her favorite candidate. You do need to buy a bandana, cool as it is, in order for the vote to count. There are some pretty funny articles written by dog pundits on the site. Here’s a reminder for all your dogs…

When voting this fall, remember to not let your owner drag you into the voting both with that chest harness. Think for yourself. The fate of our nation lies in our paws.

Sadly, they’re all out of Benjamin Franklin bandanas. What Bo? He never ran for the presidency, really? Nevermind.

This just in: internal polling in the Hoefinger household shows the election is a dead heat with one vote for Bob Barr, one vote for Obama and one vote for McCain. If our soon to be adopted cat could vote, it would be interesting to see who she’d pick. Of course it’s silly evening thinking about it because we all know cats can’t read, and thereby, can’t vote.

Comments are welcome, but make sure your pups keep it civil.  Woof!

In Fairhope, AL the mayoral race is heating up. Willie Bean, one of seven candidates, wants your votes.   This wouldn’t be so strange except he’s only 7 years old and a yellow labrador.

“I think he polishes up the field,” said Vince Kilborn, 66, of Fairhope. “We need new blood.”  Some of his supporters say all the politicking, name-dropping and sign-maneuvering in the seven-man Fairhope mayoral race is wearing on them weeks ahead of the Aug. 26 election.

While he may have some supporters Willie Bean also has his share of opponents.

Willie Bean may not be up for that rough-and-tumble world.
“When a little dog barks at him, he cringes and he runs away,” owner Tress Turner told the Press-Register in a story Sunday.

Before you think Willie Bean doesn’t have a shot, keep in mind some of his fellow politicians who beat the odds.

In 2004, Rabbit Hash, Ky., elected Junior Cochran, a black Lab, as mayor. It was the second canine elected to lead the small Northern Kentucky town, according to the town’s Web site. The first was a mutt named Goofy Borneman, according to Laurie Lamblin, a resident and employee of the town’s historic general store.

In the Hoefinger household Willie Bean can count on 12 paws in his favor.

He may have been pandering to his children but if there’s one thing Senator Barack Obama will learn, there’s no going back on commitments when kids and puppies are involved.

I’m sure many of you already know, the junior senator from Illinois promised his kids they would be able to get a dog if he is voted into the White House in November of this year.

This has dog lovers around the globe intently watching the race for the next President of the United States just to see what type of dog the kids are going to get. I’ll put dollars to donuts that he’s still going to be getting the kids a fuzzy little ball of fun even if he loses.

I think this is one of those great teaching moments that come along every once in a great while. What if the Obamas were to go to a local shelter to pick out their dog or opt for a dog rescue organization to select their dog of choice? What a great message that would send.

That’s why when I found out what the Best Friends Animal Society was doing to promote this very thing I got so excited. They’ve set up a website www.ObamaFamilyDog.com to petition the Senator to go down the rescue path rather than the purchasing one. The website has great information on why adoption is such a great choice and you’ll be amazed at the wonderful things this organization is doing to create “a better world through kindness to animals”.

The ObamaFamilyDog.com site was created as a response to The American Kennel Club which quickly identified a list of five possible “pure” breeds that the Obamas could buy from a pet store or breeder.

Best Friends’ has a different thought…

“With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, they’re proposing that the Obamas NOT buy a dog – instead, that they adopt their next dog from a shelter or rescue group.”

Anyone who’s looked into how pet stores get their dogs is appalled when they find out about the realities of puppy mills and backyard breeders. This is not directed at ethical breeders, but at those who breed their dogs without thought to the welfare of the animal, the offspring and the future owners. It truly disgusts me.

Ted has previously written about the little known world of puppy mills and backyard breeders that were exposed by Oprah on her show. In that piece he makes a great point.

“..if people simply knew about puppy mills and backyard breeders, we could kill all their business.”

He’s right. If someone were to watch the Oprah show on puppy mills, I guarantee they will be adopting their next best friend.

As a Dogster member, chances are you more aware of this problem than the average person, or dog owner. I urge to take this opportunity to influence the education of the world on dog rescues by helping the Obamas make the right choice. Go sign the petition now.