Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama

WASHINGTON – If the presidential election goes to the dogs, John McCain is looking like best in show.

From George Washington’s foxhound ‘Drunkard’ to George W Bush’s terriers ‘Barney’ and ‘Miss Beazley’, pets are a longtime presidential tradition for which the presumed Republican nominee seems well prepared, with more than a dozen. The apparent Democratic nominee Barack Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pet at home.The pet-owning public seems to have noticed the difference.An AP-Yahoo! News poll found that pet owners favour McCain over Obama 42 per cent to 37 per cent, 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, Washington, 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.Well, if voters identify with a guy who owns pets, it’s easy to see why they’d like the Arizona senator.He has a veritable menagerie, including Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish.On the other hand, the poll found that among people who don’t have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 per cent to 34 per cent.But that still leaves McCain looking strong, since the majority of homes have a pet.The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association estimates that 63 per cent of American homes include a pet, including 88 million cats and 75 million dogs.Both of those groups lean toward McCain: 43 per cent to 34 per cent for dog owners and 41 per cent to 38 per cent for cat owners.While he doesn’t currently have a pet, Obama has reportedly promised his daughters a dog once the campaign is over.In a spirit of helpfulness, the American Kennel Club is collecting opinions as to what kind of dog Obama should get.Their suggestions: Bichon Frise, Chinese crested, poodle, soft coated Wheaten Terrier or miniature Schnauzer.According to the Presidential Pets Museum there are no records of family pets in the administrations of James K Polk, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and Chester Arthur.Fillmore, however, was a founding member of the Buffalo, NY, chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.President Andrew Johnson reportedly left flour out at night for a family of mice living in the White House, though it’s not clear if that counts as having a pet.Here’s a look at the poll results: – All pet owners: McCain, 42 per cent; Obama 37 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent; undecided, 14 per cent.- Do not own a pet: Obama, 48 per cent; McCain, 34 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent; undecided, 12 per cent.- Dog owners: McCain, 43 per cent; Obama, 34 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent, undecided, 12 per cent.Margin of error, 3,6 points.- Cat owners: McCain, 41 per cent; Obama, 38 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 4 per cent; undecided, 14 per cent.The breakdown of who has pets and who doesn’t also may be a factor.For example, the poll found 47 per cent of whites own dogs, compared with just 24 per cent of blacks.Some 64 per cent of dog owners are married, slightly higher than the overall population.The poll found 47 per cent of married people own dogs, compared with 39 per cent of non-married people.Married people tend to favour McCain.The AP-Yahoo! News poll is part of an ongoing study that tracks the attitudes and opinions of a group of more than 2 000 Americans to see how their political views evolve over the course of the election campaign.This AP-Yahoo! News survey had an overall margin sampling error of plus or minus 2,3 percentage points.Nampa-APThe apparent Democratic nominee Barack Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pet at home.The pet-owning public seems to have noticed the difference.An AP-Yahoo! News poll found that pet owners favour McCain over Obama 42 per cent to 37 per cent, 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, Washington, 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.Well, if voters identify with a guy who owns pets, it’s easy to see why they’d like the Arizona senator.He has a veritable menagerie, including Sam the English springer spaniel, Coco the mutt, turtles Cuff and Link, Oreo the black and white cat, a ferret, three parakeets and a bunch of saltwater fish.On the other hand, the poll found that among people who don’t have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 per cent to 34 per cent.But that still leaves McCain looking strong, since the majority of homes have a pet.The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association estimates that 63 per cent of American homes include a pet, including 88 million cats and 75 million dogs.Both of those groups lean toward McCain: 43 per cent to 34 per cent for dog owners and 41 per cent to 38 per cent for cat owners.While he doesn’t currently have a pet, Obama has reportedly promised his daughters a dog once the campaign is over.In a spirit of helpfulness, the American Kennel Club is collecting opinions as to what kind of dog Obama should get.Their suggestions: Bichon Frise, Chinese crested, poodle, soft coated Wheaten Terrier or miniature Schnauzer.According to the Presidential Pets Museum there are no records of family pets in the administrations of James K Polk, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and Chester Arthur.Fillmore, however, was a founding member of the Buffalo, NY, chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.President Andrew Johnson reportedly left flour out at night for a family of mice living in the White House, though it’s not clear if that counts as having a pet.Here’s a look at the poll results: – All pet owners: McCain, 42 per cent; Obama 37 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent; undecided, 14 per cent.- Do not own a pet: Obama, 48 per cent; McCain, 34 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent; undecided, 12 per cent.- Dog owners: McCain, 43 per cent; Obama, 34 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 3 per cent, undecided, 12 per cent.Margin of error, 3,6 points.- Cat owners: McCain, 41 per cent; Obama, 38 per cent; Nader, 3 per cent; other, 4 per cent; undecided, 14 per cent.The breakdown of who has pets and who doesn’t also may be a factor.For example, the poll found 47 per cent of whites own dogs, compared with just 24 per cent of blacks.Some 64 per cent of dog owners are married, slightly higher than the overall population.The poll found 47 per cent of married people own dogs, compared with 39 per cent of non-married people.Married people tend to favour McCain.The AP-Yahoo! News poll is part of an ongoing study that tracks the attitudes and opinions of a group of more than 2 000 Americans to see how their political views evolve over the course of the election campaign.This AP-Yahoo! News survey had an overall margin sampling error of plus or minus 2,3 percentage points.Nampa-AP