On Politics: Take a break from politics, and enjoy these animal tales during the dog days of summer

Former President Harry Truman is credited with offering the suggestion that “if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

This week let’s talk about dogs. National politics is hateful, local politics is torpid and besides, we are entering the “Dog Days of Summer” and need to chill.

Politics may be all about making judgments and picking winners and losers, but politicians can love dogs and know they won’t get judged; it is only love in return.

Some local leaders, Govs. Linda Lingle and David Ige, for instance, brought cats with them to Washington Place. While I’m sure their cats loved them, dogs wouldn’t judge them; cats, I’m not too sure.

Former Gov. William Quinn may have had Hawaii’s most rascally political dog, Danny Boy, a Brittany spaniel, and accomplished escape artist. Whenever the governor went on a trip, Danny Boy bolted. In 1960, while Quinn was at the national GOP convention, Danny Boy was found roaming the first floor on The Honolulu Advertiser news building on Kapiolani, about a half mile from Washington Place. Reporters called the Humane Society, which immediately recognized the errant gubernatorial canine.

For years, Honolulu’s top dog was Gino, the happy and somewhat slobbering springer spaniel that followed former Mayor Frank Fasi everywhere. Fasi said he was closer to the dog “than any living being,” prompted his wife Joyce to say, “I’m glad it’s a dog.”

Opponents once took out a radio ad that mentioned Gino, prompting Fasi to warn they could attack him or his wife or his children, but not his dog.

Under the category of “political bones to chew” is the story of former state Sen. Fred Hemmings, who convinced his surgeon to give him a piece of his hip bone after replacement surgery. Hemmings kept the bone in his desk until he left the office one day and his beloved Portuguese water dog, Makai, discovered it.

“He had consumed most of it,” Hemmings wrote in his autobiography, adding that he may be the only person on the planet “who has been partially eaten by a dog and is still here to tell about it.”

Former Congresswoman and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa wrote a book about one of her dogs, Little, a border collie, who learned to discover and value the differences in people by learning about his different dog buddies.

“Dogs are amazing. In one of my campaigns people commented more about Little than any policy question, “ Hanabusa said in an interview, adding that pets, especially ones that people relate to, can help soften a politician’s rough edges.

Former Gov. George Ariyoshi had two cockapoos at the governor’s mansion and former Gov. Neil Abercrombie took his Shetland sheepdog, Kanoa, with him to Washington Place.

If dog owners and their dogs start to resemble each other, one of the state’s best dog-and-politician matches is former Gov. Ben Cayetano and his beloved English bulldog, Boomer. The gruff and rough exterior they both project belie the sweethearts they both are, Cayetano said.

“English bulldogs are great, they are super affectionate, great supportive dogs. The kids all loved Boomer, he was the state’s top dog,” Cayetano said in an interview.

Boomer, however, was not a lonely dog. At one time, Cayetano recalled, he and his wife, Vicky, another confirmed dog lover, had 10 dogs. With Boomer at Washington Place, there were also two German shepherds and two bichon frises.

Cayetano has seven dogs now, five bichons and two terriers and a revolving cast of dogs in foster care.

Now one of Cayetano’s political campaigns is to increase Hawaii’s animal cruelty laws so that there is at least the threat of prison time for harming animals.

“Also, I know it will be controversial, but we should outlaw pig hunting with dogs,” Cayetano said.

“It is cruel to the dogs and pigs.”

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.