Move over Bruiser Woods, there’s some real life canines (and cats, and horses) on Capitol Hill and they’re receiving accolades for their cuteness. On Tuesday night, the Humane Society of the United States announced the winners of the second annual Congressional Pet Photo Contest during a pet-filled reception.
The competition was pretty fierce. 233 pets entered and only a handful were chosen by judges Gary Weitzman, CEO of the Washington Animal Rescue League, and Lisa LaFontaine, president and CEO of the Washington Humane Society.
Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wisc., was on hand to accept the award given to his dog Ketcham for “Elder Statesdog.” Petri, with Ketcham at his side, pledged the English bulldog’s allegiance to the United States saying he was both, “100 percent Badger and 100 percent American.”
Accepting the “Canine Pawjority Leader” award on behalf of Sen. Scott Brown‘s Yorkshire Terrier Koda was his “available” daughter Arianna Brown, and Koda’s dogsitter Peggy Hanrahan, a staffer for Sen. Jeff Sessions. Brown, a pre-vet student at Syracuse, told us she’s spending the summer in D.C. interning at the National Zoo.
Cats owned by Reps. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., and Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hi., were also given awards, along with a horse owned by committee staffer Amy Smith.
