US Senator put down after third dog-biting incident this month
Best of Biden: Part 3 of 4
During the final four days of Joe Biden’s presidency, Battle Line is sharing four of our most popular stories that covered POTUS No. 46. Today’s story was originally published April 28, 2021.
It was a somber day in Washington as Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey was put down after repeated incidents of biting dogs, including three in April alone. The procedure occurred quietly and peacefully early Thursday afternoon at the Eastern Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Center.
Toomey, 59, was remembered by colleagues and friends alike as being kind but tenacious on important issues like education, agriculture and public safety. He was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in. However, as one fellow senator made clear, he was not without flaw.
“Pat was a patriot and a dedicated public servant,” said Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT). “But, unfortunately, he had a penchant for biting dogs. It was among his favorite hobbies, and one that I never could quite understand.”
Toomey often would leave the Senate building, and if he saw someone walking a dog, he would drop his briefcase and take off at full speed chasing them, Romney recalled. At first, people usually thought he was chasing after them, but in reality all he was after was the dog. “I always felt bad for those poor animals. Pat would really lay into them.”
“Not only would he rip these dogs from limb to limb, but then he would parade around the National Mall with their bleeding bodies in his mouth,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). “Pat was a dear friend of mine, but there’s no question he had his demons. Although, to Pat, it was all in good fun.”
Yet another senator recalls the first time he witnessed Toomey’s deranged behavior.
“After one session day, I heard a soft, whimpering sound coming from just outside the Senate chamber,” said Senator John Kennedy (R-LA). “I look down and see this puppy—a Pomeranian, I believe—lying in a pool of blood struggling to keep its breath. Then I look over beside it, and there's Pat sitting Indian style with his tongue hanging out and panting with a big smile on his face. I was already late to a meeting, so I simply rubbed Pat on the top of the head and said, ‘Good boy!’ Looking back, I probably should have done more.”
Toomey’s behavior had ramped up in recent weeks, including latching onto the tail of Major Biden, the president’s dog, and shaking him violently side to side. It has been a long-held policy in Washington that biting the president’s dog is a no-no.
Toomey is buried in the Senate garden, just west of the tomatoes, marked by a wooden sign that reads, “Pat.”