West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s Adorable Bulldog Stole the Show at the RNC

Many Americans were pleasantly surprised while watching the second night of the Republic National Convention on Tuesday night when West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice brought a special guest out on stage with him; his adorable bulldog named Babydog. The pooch was introduced and sat down in a leather armchair with a huge smile on her face to show her dad support as he addressed the nation. It was clear that the crowd was chanting her name and cheering for the dog and not necessarily for what Justice was saying!

CBS News shared the video clip on Wednesday, July 17th and included in the caption that Justice, who is now running for the Senate, said his dog predicted, "Republicans will retain control of the House and flip the Senate and that Donald Trump will win the White House." But what Justice said about Babydog's onstage appearance was the best, "She makes us smile and she loves everybody. And how could the message possibly be any simpler than just that?"

@cbsnews Babydog, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's bulldog, stole the show at the Republican National Convention's second night, sitting an armchair as the governor spoke onstage. Justice, who is now running for the Senate, said his dog predicted Republicans will retain control of the House and flip the Senate and that Donald Trump will win the White House. #gop #republican #trump #westvirginia #dogsoftiktok ♬ original sound - cbsnews

Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, I bet this made you smile! People left hundreds of comments about CBS News' video clip. @Sandrasalinas196 said, "Babydog can sure teach us humans a few things-like loving our fellow Americans." @Sweetea swooned, "We the people demand to see everyone else’s pets now!! LOL! Cutest thing ever!" And my favorite comment came from @Angelica who said simply, "I’m voting for Babydog."

More About Governer Justice's Dog Babydog

If the Gov.'s English Bulldog stole your heart, you are not alone. People flocked to the internet to learn more about Justice's 60-pound pooch, and so I thought I'd share what I found out about her. Fox News shared that Babydog is "one three canines owned by Justice and his family. They also have two Boston terriers named Lucy and Ellie, according to the governor's campaign website for his U.S. Senate bid in November." According to the Associated Press, Babydog was a gift from Justice’s children in 2019.

Babydog is 4-years-old and will be celebrating her 5th birthday in October. Babydog has been traveling with him, meeting people, and shaking paws, um I mean hands, with all of his supporters for years. She's already somewhat of a celebrity in West Virginia, and if Justice gets his way, she'll be joining him in the Senate as well.

Cool Facts About English Bulldogs

English Bulldogs are quite popular, and in fact, the breed has been in the top five most popular dogs ranked by the AKC in America since 2013. Pet owners aren't the only ones that love these bulldogs, sports teams love them too! They're the most popular dog mascot around. "There are 49 universities in the United States have a Bulldog mascot, including Georgetown and Yale. This is a testament to the Bulldog’s well-known toughness and courage," according to the AKC.

Do you know why they're called 'bulldogs'? AKC shares that they were originally bred to be used in bullbaiting. A bull would be tethered to a stake in the ground and the bulldogs were encouraged to try to bite the bull’s nose. "Bulldogs were well-suited for this sport because of their strong, fearless nature. Breeders bred the dogs to have large, powerful heads and loose skin, so that they could recover from an attack and keep fighting." They almost went extinct, but people liked the cute dogs so much that breeders started to breed them to be the companion dogs we all know and love today. I'm glad they are still around because they're one of my favorite breeds, too!

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