Toto, a Cairn terrier, will forever be linked to Kansas.Alaska has the Alaskan Malamute, Massachusetts has the Boston Terrier, and nine other states also have official dogs (including New Hampshire’s Chinook, which I thought was just a kind of salmon until I saw that the yellow sled dog is decidedly not a fish).
But 39 states don’t yet have state canines. They may have state reptiles, birds, and even insects, but no dogs. Kansas is getting set to lower that number to 38 soon, if a state bill calling for the Cairn terrier (the kind of dog Toto was) to become the official state dog passes.
“I do realize that this isn’t the most important piece of legislation or issue we’re dealing with, but I hope we can take this legislation as what it is, a symbolic piece of legislation, and move it through,” Rep. Ed Trimmer, who last week introduced House Bill No. 251, said in an ABC News story.
Cairns are a good choice for Kansas, since the state will forever be linked to the canine co-star of The Wizard of Oz. But most states don’t have clearcut ties with dogs. It’s not like they’re native mammals stomping around the woods, or local birds flitting about the flowers.
Last year Dogster wrote about New York’s attempt to make “shelter rescue dog” the official state dog. I’ve checked for updates, but I don’t see anything about that legislation happening. It was a great idea, though.
Dogsters, if your state doesn’t have a state dog, what do you think yours should be? Or is this even something you’d want to see, since it tends to promote certain breeds? Jake thinks California’s should be a yellow (aka blond) Lab, of course.
Should the yellow/blond Lab be California's state dog, as Jake seems to be hinting at?
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