by guest contributor Jen Voss
Photo credit: Courtesy of Story Partners DC
“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” President Harry S. Truman. That suggestion is alive and well on Capitol Hill where you’ll find in the ranks of Republicans and Democrats, Members of Congress and staff, countless people proud to parade their adorable pets!
Marti from “Annie”
Elected officials, Congressional staffers and two of the most popular pets on the silver screen made their way to Capitol Hill for the Animal Health Institute’s (AHI) Celebrity Pet Night that celebrates the bond between people and their pets and also crowns the winners of the Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
The crowd at the event included a healthy peppering of various members of Congress and their staff. U.S. Representative Jeff Denham, – whose dog “Lily” was a 2013 Cutest Pets Contest winner – unveiled this year’s winners who came from Senator Boxer’s office (Dog), Representative Mike Honda’s office (Cat) and a rabbit (Exotic) from Senator Warren’s office.
Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA)
Every year, members of Congress and staffers submit their cutest photos of their pets and winners are picked by the set of judges which often include popular DC bloggers and journalists.
Go Phineas: From Senator Barbara Boxer’s office
AHI’s President, Alex Mathews, provided opening remarks to kick off the night’s festivities.
“The Cutest Pet’s Contest is held in conjunction with AHI’s Pet Night, a longstanding favorite event on the Hill where we celebrate the bond between people and their pets. The availability of medicines to keep animals healthy plays an important role in promoting the human- animal bond. Increased awareness about the relationship between human and animal health helps to prevent disease transmission and helps protect public health,” said Mathews.
Office of Rep. Mike Honda
It was a lively event, and included appearances by the celebrity pets who co-star in two of the most anticipated films of the year; the adorable dog named Marti who portrays “Sandy” in the urban remake of “Annie” and Orion the cat, who plays “Buttercup” in the “Hunger Games” series. This is actually the second “Buttercup” to purr its way into Congress. The original “Buttercup,” a cat named Tennessee was part of AHI’s 2012 Pet Night and starred in the series first two movies.
From Senator Warren’s office
This year’s judges were NBC Washington’s Angie Goff, The Hill’s Judy Kurtz, POLITICO’s Helena Bottemiller Evich, Fishbowl’s Nick Massella and WJLA/WTOP’s Dr. Katy Nelson. In the spirit of true democracy, the voting public determined the overall winners through online voting via Facebook. The judges must have had a hard time choosing their top five, check out all the cuteness.
