A group of legislators wants to enshrine the Labrador retriever as the official dog breed of Minnesota, touching off a debate Tuesday about which kind is best to represent the state.
"These dogs are good looking, they're sleek, they're sinewy, they're fast, they're strong," said Sen. David Tomassoni, D-Chisholm, noting his son has a black Lab named Watson. "They're the exemplar dog for a symbol for the state of Minnesota."
Under the proposal, the notably smart, friendly breed would join other Minnesota staples such as hockey, walleye and wild rice on the official list of state "symbols." As it stands, just 12 states nationwide have designated a state dog.
A poodle breeder is not convinced, however.
"Why does Minnesota need an official state dog? There are no dogs that are indigenous to our state," said Sandy Vance, owner of Poodle Sense in Harris, Minn. She noted that Minnesota has failed six times to adopt the Eastern timber wolf as the state animal.
Supporters see the proposal as a way to bring some bipartisan levity to a session dominated by more serious debates on issues like the budget and taxes.
"Look at the dogs here, they're having a great time getting along together," Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, said as several Labs sniffed tails and appealed for belly rubs at a news conference at the State Capitol. "Maybe we should take that as our example."
Supporters also hope interest in the proposal will raise awareness for service and rescue animals and encourage children to learn about the legislative process. To that aim, they launched a website, www.mnstatedog.org, that students can use to track the measure through the legislative process.
