A new poll shows that Americans aren’t particularly fond of the way that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney treats his dog, at least in the way that Romney once described. Public Policy Polling (D) asked the following question of Americans nationally: “Mitt Romney once strapped his dog’s kennel to the roof of his car for a long car trip. Does this make you more or less likely to vote for him, or does it not make a difference?” Romney had shared the anecdote in a 2007 Boston Globe profile of the former governor, which has since come up in this 2012 presidential campaign.
The results were not good for Romney — 35 percent of Americans said they were less likely to vote for Romney based on the story, while seven percent said it made them more likely to vote Romney, and a majority of 55 percent said it didn’t matter. From PPP:
There is growing talk about Mitt Romney’s “dog problem.” Before the issue was specified in the poll, only 20% of voters said they had a favorable opinion of Romney’s treatment of dogs; 29% said unfavorable. That compares to the president’s 44-14 spread on the issue. Even Republicans only think their nomination frontrunner is kind to man’s best friend by a 26-14 margin, while Democrats give the president’s puppy friendliness a 66-7 nod. 37% say Obama would be a better president for dogs, while 21% choose Romney. 16% of Republicans cross over for Obama on this issue, versus only 11% of Democrats for Romney. Independents go 38-14 for the president.
