Babydog: Difference between revisions

{{Mdy|date=July 2024}}{{Short description|English Bulldog owned by Jim Justice (born 2019)}}

'''Babydog''', full name '''Babydog Justice''',<ref name="e571">{{cite web | last=Heim | first=Madeline | title=Who is Babydog Justice, the dog onstage at RNC in Milwaukee | website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee and Wisconsin breaking news and investigations | date=2024-07-17 | url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2024/07/17/who-is-babydog-justice-the-dog-onstage-at-rnc-in-milwaukee/74438406007/ | access-date=2024-07-17}}</ref><ref name="t924">{{cite web | last=Baxter | first=Holly | title=Babydog Justice appears on RNC speaker schedule, in surprise twist | website=The Independent | date=2024-07-16 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/babydog-justice-rnc-speaker-governor-b2580848.html | access-date=2024-07-17}}</ref> is an [[English bulldog]] owned by [[Jim Justice]], the [[Governor of West Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/06/27/babydog-unleashed-inside-the-weird-world-of-the-most-powerful-pooch-in-politics/|title=Babydog: WV Gov. Jim Justice's Secret Canine Weapon|date=June 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/us/jim-justice-senate-governor-west-virginia.html|title='Big Jim' and Babydog Go to Washington?|first=Campbell|last=Robertson|work=The New York Times |date=October 15, 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> Described by the ''[[Washington Post]]'' as a "fixture in West Virginia politics", she is known for regularly accompanying Justice at public engagements.<ref name="c698">{{cite news | last=Suliman | first=Adela | title=Meet Babydog, the 60-pound bulldog who stole the show at RNC convention | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2024-07-17 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/17/babydog-rnc-convention-jim-justice-west-virginia/ | access-date=2024-07-17}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2021, Justice used the slogan "Do It for Babydog" to promote a vaccine lottery designed to encourage West Virginians to get vaccinated foragainst COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/west-virginia-governor-defends-do-it-for-babydog-vaccine-lottery-federal-subpoena/|title=West Virginia governor defends "Do it for Babydog" vaccine lottery after federal subpoena - CBS News|first=Erica|last=Brown|date=June 21, 2023|website=www.cbsnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wowktv.com/community/do-it-for-babydog/|title=West Virginia's 'Do it for Babydog' vaccine lottery coverage &#124; WOWK|date=September 8, 2023|access-date=December 14, 2021|archive-date=December 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214191358/https://www.wowktv.com/community/do-it-for-babydog/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=BASS |first=KENNIE |date=2021-06-18 |title='She makes people feel good:' How Babydog became the face of W.Va.'s vaccine campaign |url=https://wset.com/news/local/she-makes-people-feel-good-how-babydog-became-the-face-of-wvas-vaccine-campaign |access-date=2024-07-18 |website=WSET |language=en}}</ref>

Due to Babydog's frequent appearances with Justice at various press conferences and events within West Virginia, Babydog quickly became a popular figure within West Virginian politics, becoming a sort of [[meme]] figure within the state. One particular event in 2022 gained national attention, as: while delivering the annual [[State of the State Address]], Justice responded to a [[Tweet (social media)|tweet]] by actress [[Bette Midler]] calling West Virginians "poor, illiterate, and strung out" (in response to [[List of United States senators from West Virginia|Senator]] and former [[List of governors of West Virginia|Governor]] [[Joe Manchin]]'s opposition to President [[Joe Biden]]'s [[Build Back Better Plan|"Build Back Better" Plan]]) by holding Babydog up and telling Midler, as well as his critics, to "kiss her hiney".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stracqualursi |first=Veronica |date=2022-01-28 |title=The ultimate rebuttal: West Virginia governor hoists dog's derrière in cheeky response to critics {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/politics/jim-justice-west-virginia-babydog-speech/index.html |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, a waterfall in [[Babcock State Park]] was renamed to "Babydog Falls" in her honor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Kassidy |date=2023-03-30 |title=Babydog gets a waterfall in Babcock State Park |url=https://www.wvva.com/2023/03/30/babydog-gets-waterfall-babcock-state-park/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=WVVA |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, in June 2024, a [[mural]] depicting West Virginian history was unveiled at the [[West Virginia State Capitol]], and it included a likeness of Babydog.<ref name="k469">{{cite web | last=Willingham | first=Leah | title=An English bulldog named Babydog makes a surprise appearance in a mural on West Virginia history | website=AP News | date=2024-06-30 | url=https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-babydog-mural-capitol-governor-justice-174616f19a07e74ea4dbbd52c3ee1f72 | access-date=2024-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Slade |first=Duncan |date=2024-06-27 |title=Capitol renovation oversight has been skirted for years. Now, West Virginia has a Babydog mural |url=https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2024/06/27/babydog-mural-jim-justice-capitol/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Mountain State Spotlight |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2024, associates of Jim Justice registered a [[political action committee]] named the "Babydog's Almost Heaven PAC".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pet Project: Federal leadership PAC registered, named after Justice’sJustice's Babydog |url=https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2024/08/pet-project-federal-leadership-pac-registered-named-after-justices-babydog/ |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=newsandsentinel.com/ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-08-06 |title=Associates of West Virginia Gov. Justice start federal leadership PAC in Babydog’sBabydog's name |url=https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/associates-of-west-virginia-gov-justice-start-federal-leadership-pac-in-babydog-s-name/article_15c90294-5422-11ef-a2c1-2fd6128facbc.html |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=WV News |language=en}}</ref>