This week Lucky and I were off to do some journalistic work in our nation’s state capital, Washington, D.C. for the very important and very chaotic White House Correspondent Associations Dinner weekend.
While we were there, we didn’t spot President George Bush’s dog Barney anywhere – the whole weekend – so SOMEBODY had to do the doggy dirty work and that somebody was none other than Lucky Diamond, White House Pet Correspondent. As soon as we got there it seemed like we were already getting the inside scoop. At the People Magazine Party five minutes had hardly passed by when we started chatting with the daughter of 71 year-old Presidential hopeful John McCain, 23 year old Meghan McCain. The young, bubbly and outspoken blonde McCain told us about the Republicanine line-up at the McCain home: CoCo (a mutt rescued from the Humane Society), Sam (a Springer Spaniel) and Desi and Lucy the McCain’s two Russian Terriers. We also saw a lively Roberta McCain, John’s mother and Meghan’s grandmother who was a breath of fresh air, perhaps there to keep little Meghan in-line.
The next night was the actual dinner and it certainly was a dog and pony show, minus the dogs and ponies. Everywhere we turned there was another star and lucky for Lucky, they were all animal lovers. New York City Mayor Bloomberg told us about his two Scottish Terriers, Bonnie and Clyde, a gift from his current girlfriend. Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am told us he is currently petless, but shopping around to rescue a Pixie Bobcat. One of our favorite run-ins of the night was extraordinary comedienne Tracey Ullman who told us about her rescued pup. When she got her mutt, it had no hair and a doctor found a bullet between the dog’s lung and liver. The pup’s name is Bianca because Ullman’s son was doing Taming of the Shrew onstage at the time. “We discovered Bianca can sing” Ullman told us. When we asked what Bianca liked to sing, Ullman told us “Stevie Nicks mostly.” We also spotted young heartthrobs The Jonas Brothers and Hills sweetheart Lauren Conrad who was elated to chat about her rescued pup, Chloe, and the real-life drama the new pup is having with her current cat, Ashes.
Everywhere we looked we saw familiar faces, young politicos, excited faces, but zero pets. Perez Hilton arrived sans Teddy Hilton, and we saw former Animal Fair cover girl Pam Anderson who told us about her new Golden, JoJo. Anderson also gave us the scoop on her rescued Chihuahua, Varmint. Varmint wasn’t rescued from the Humane Society, Anderson rescued the Chihuahua from her third ex-husband, Rick Soloman. I also spotted newly engaged music couple Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson who weren’t talking about a new baby, but the current baby sleeping in their bed. Simpson said of Wentz’s English Bulldog Hemingway, “he’s our dog now.”
The next morning Lucky and I headed to the historic Adams Hotel for John McLaughlin’s White House Brunch. The whole cast of the McLaughlin Group including Clarence Page, Lawrence O’Donnell, Pat Buchanan and Margaret Carlson. We also spotted actress/activist Rosario Dawson who was missing her ex Jason Lewis’ two dogs. Dawson was there to promote her organization, Voto Latino, dedicated to getting Latin youths to vote.
This week Lucky and I would also like to make a comment on the disgusting acts of Puerto Rican artist, Guillermo Vargas. Vargas took a homeless dog off the Nicaragua streets and used the starving dog as an exhibit of art. A starving dog is not art, it is a cry for help. While little is known about what happened to the dog – some say the dog escaped, some say it died after one day – Vargas intends on doing the exhibit again and we need to put a stop to it.
Check out http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.html to help put an end to this blatant cruelty.
