What Dogs (Can) Say About Politicians

With Brexit being a hot topic in the news, Boris Johnson has been put under fire by the British press. For a politician who is so in the crossfire of criticism, he’s also had to deal with a new roommate for Number 10. His new roommate is a 15-week-old Jack Russell Terrier that Boris Johnson and his girlfriend adopted from a shelter.

Just like humans, animals need a good start in life to be able to reach their full potential. The Prime Minister has always been a passionate supporter of animal welfare and has always believed that animals need a good start in life.

The Brexit drama is a very difficult topic to discuss. There are so many different factors to consider when taking a stance on this issue. It is hard to know how someone will react if you support or are against Brexit. However, many believe that if one adopts a dog with crooked teeth could be a good person. The focus here now is not on the dogs or the shelter where they came from. But it’s all about bringing out the human, compassionate side of everyone.

Read also: Are Images Important In Political Communication

Twitter account for Attila

If you first assume that politicians are normal people, there is of course a certain basic probability that one or the other also has a dog. The fact that there is sometimes more behind it can be deduced from the fact that politicians often very consciously make their love of animals public. For example, former US President George W. Bush’s dog, Terrier Barney, had its own page on the White House website. In Germany, Attila, the dog of the Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow, has a Twitter account that is mainly maintained by his Italian wife.

“Of course, it’s an exciting idea to comment on the Prime Minister’s work from a dog’s point of view,” says Hamburg political advisor Martin Fuchs. “I found it extremely smart when he commented on political statements and activities. For example, when he complains that his master hasn’t been home for so long. Actually, a criticism of his master, which then shows: The guy works his ass off for Thuringia.”

Self-portrayal with a pet

The whole thing is in a larger context, explains Prof. Trebbe: We know from the development of social media that there is a tendency to disclose private information in order to convey social skills in addition to political skills. According to the motto: “Look here, I’m a person like you, I have a dog and I even get him from the animal shelter.” Of course, you score points with that.

This self-portrayal with a pet goes back centuries. Many kings and emperors had their portraits taken with their dogs. The four-legged darling of the Dutch national hero Prince William of Orange (1533-1584) was even carved in marble after his death: as part of a pompous funerary monument in the New Church in Delft, he rests forever at the feet of his master.

Pug Pompey is said to have even saved Orange’s life once: the prince slept while his enemies approached. Then the attentive “hondje” woke him up so that he could get to safety. Significantly, Oranien was considered an extremely successful propagandist in his own right, who knew how to use the new medium of printed pamphlets for his own purposes.

Unpleasant surprise at Putin

The image of the dog is not always the same. There’s the cute dog and the big, dangerous one. A few years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Angela Merkel an unpleasant surprise with his Labrador Koni. Allegedly, he knew nothing of the Chancellor’s fear of dogs. “Dogs also have a macho tradition,” says Trebbe. “You come from the hunt to the human being. The fact that politicians who pride themselves on their masculine qualities adorn themselves with big dogs is intended to underline their strength.”

Incidentally, in the case of Boris Johnson, Trebbe is not sure whether the purchase of Dilyn was really a clever move. “It could also be dangerous, because there’s been a cat called Larry in Downing Street for a long time, and he’s very popular.” He has 323,000 followers on Twitter. ‘Supposedly Larry has been showing up less since Boris Johnson took office. If that were to be confirmed, you could still say at the end: ‘Now he even scared away the nice cat.’

Conclusion: If Pets Can Talk

If pets can talk, they can be a living testimony of how their “humans” treat them. The way we nurture and treat our pets, what we provide even in the smallest things like dog beds, for example, shows how we naturally treat other people too. Our pets greatly reflect our personalities. And the same goes for politicians.

 

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