Story From Romney's Past Prompts Protest at Dog Show Mitt Romney may have a new constituency to worry about: dogs and dog lovers. The group "Dogs Against Romney" held a protest outside the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York on Tuesday afternoon to bring attention to the story of how 25 years ago, Mr. Romney drove from Boston to Canada on vacation with his dog, Seamus, in a carrier strapped to the roof of the family station wagon - a tale that political commentators and opponents have seized on it as a window into Mr. Romney's character. About a dozen people stood outside Madison Square Garden with signs reading "Mitt is Mean." Tate Hausman attended the protest with his dog, Sake, an 8-year-old pug. "Certainly, this is a tongue-in-cheek event, but I'm definitely serious that I wouldn't want someone who has that kind of judgment running my country," he said. As for his dog? "She's not usually an activist, but this really hits her where she lives," he said. As for the dog tale, Mr. Romney said Seamus liked to ride that way, but others have said the tale exposed Mr. Romney's callousness. Either way, the episode continues to spur revisions of the original narrative. And it has also drawn people who won't let go. With almost 2,500 followers on Twitter and 25,000 likes on Facebook, "Dogs Against Romney" mostly has fun with the issue, posting cute pictures online of dogs wearing bandanas that say "I Ride Inside." Members call themselves a "super pack," sign messages with "woof," and sell T-shirts with the slogans "Never forget Crate-Gate" and "Dogs aren't luggage." And as for political motivations behind the protest, many in the group Tuesday were unabashed Obama supporters, but the participants still said the dog-owner vote was up for grabs. "I mean, dog people are across the political spectrum," said Alan Charney, an event organizer. They're on the left, they're on the right, they're on the center - everyone loves dogs, and politics has nothing to do with it. But I think that a lot of people who are vulnerable to Mitt Romney may give second thought to this if they're dog lovers and know what happened. The Web site for "Dogs Against Romney" was created in 2007 by Scott Crider, a social media strategist in Alabama, after reports of the story surfaced during the 2008 presidential campaign. But the group has grown "dramatically" in the last few weeks, Mr. Crider said. Despite some media reports about the road trip, many people still don't know all the details of the story, Mr. Crider said. "We use humor because it works, but it's a serious message," Mr. Crider said in a phone interview. I think this speaks to a character issue that people need to be aware of. Nick Corasaniti contributed reporting.