Tales of the Kennedy dogs

More stories are coming out about the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's love for his dogs.

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.

Kennedy as dog lover

The White House's The Briefing Room blog posted this picture of Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife Vicki greeting Bo in the Outer Oval Office of the White House April 21. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.)

Tributes are pouring in for the late senator, some having to do with his love of dogs.

He had two Portuguese water dogs — Sunny and Splash — and was instrumental in the Obamas getting Bo.

Here's a story from the Los Angeles Times's L.A. Unleashed blog about Kennedy.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote today that Kennedy was "a stalwart ally over the years on a wide range of legislation to protect companion animals, farm animals, animals in research and wildlife," adding that the senator from Massachusetts was instrumental in the passage of animal welfare legislation including laws that cracked down on dogfighting and cockfighting, protected horses and other farm animals, and sent chimpanzees once used in medical research to sanctuaries.

Say what you will about the man, he was a force to be reckoned with.