This blog post from USA Today talks about Kennedy's dogs trying to protect him from then-Sen. Joe Biden's oratory.
And Politico has a story about how Kennedy would bring his dogs to Capitol Hill and how much they — along with the senator — will be missed.
Kennedy’s Senate office always had water bowls and tennis balls on hand. Major legislation was hammered out as White House officials patted fuzzy heads and threw balls during meetings. The dogs were known to snooze under committee room tables.
“It’s like the end of an era,” said Kennedy’s former judiciary committee general council David Sutphen. “I find it hard to believe you’ll have another senator with a dog who comes to meetings all over the Capitol. It’s kind of the closing of a chapter.”
Unfortunately, the dogs did not have access to the Senate floor. No doubt they could have had a positive effect on legislation had they been there.