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  • 2014-10-26 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Rick Scott Return a Rescue Dog After an Election? (en)
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  • In August 2010, then-newcomer Rick Scott won nomination as the Republican candidate in the Florida gubernatorial race. Before Scott defeated opponent Alex Sink by a margin of 1.3 percent in the general election to become the 45th governor of Florida, he adopted a shelter dog. Scott's Facebook page crowdsourced a name for the dog during his candidacy. When the pet's adoption was complete, the page was updated to inform supporters of the dog's new name: The Scott family is proud to announce that the name (chosen by you) for their newly adopted pup is Reagan! Thanks to everyone who participated in the fun contest. Scott was spotted walking Reagan a day before he was sworn in as governor, but the dog soon disappeared from the public eye, and Scott's camp became reluctant to discuss the pet. Reagan's notable absence dogged Scott's campaign staff, and by January 2013, the Tampa Bay Times began investigating the animal's whereabouts. On 14 January 2014, the paper reported meeting resistance from Scott's staff on the issue of Reagan: A representative for Scott's wife, Ann, was similarly unwilling to discuss Reagan, confirming the family had a dog named Tallee who was also a rescue animal. Ultimately, the paper directly confronted Scott about Reagan's whereabouts and received an answer. According to the governor, Reagan had behavioral issues with which he and his staff were ill-equipped to cope. Gov. Scott explained that while Reagan didn't harm anyone, his demeanor nonetheless frightened several staff members. As such, he explained, the family was forced to re-home Reagan as the adoption was a poor fit for both staffers and the dog himself: Scott told the paper Tallee was also a needy dog but described behavior that was not as upsetting to staffers as Reagan's had been. It was later confirmed Reagan had been returned to All Pets Grooming and Boarding in Naples, Florida, but it was not clear whether he was subsequently re-adopted. Social media sites have dredged up the fate of Reagan upon occasion, reviving interest in the situation anew each time a prominent animal lover's page features the story. While it's true Florida Gov. Rick Scott adopted a shelter dog during the 2010 election and later returned the pet to a shelter, the fact he quickly adopted another shelter dog suggests Reagan was indeed a bad fit for the family and the Governor's mansion, and the animal was not simply a prop rented for the election season and discarded afterwards. Had Scott truly only adopted the dog for good press, it's unlikely the family would have immediately taken in another shelter pet after surrendering the first one. (en)
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