ohmidog!

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul portrays himself as a Rottweiler, and his opponents as shih tzus, in a new campaign ad.

The ad, being broadcast in both Iowa and New Hampshire, is called “Big Dog,” and it accuses the other candidates of being all bark and no bite when it comes to cutting government spending.

“Testosterone-laden,” the Des Moines Register called it.

While his opponents may whine “like little shih tzus,” Ron Paul, according to the ad, will pounce on out of control federal government spending, cutting it by $1 trillion in the first year and eliminating five federal agencies.

As we’ve been telling you in this series, dogs are being used like never before to sway public opinion — and we wouldn’t be surprised if other candidates seized on the dog theme, portraying themselves, or their opponents as particular breeds.

Imagine the possibilities: Rick Perry as a well-groomed but oblivious Afghan hound; Michele Bachmann as a flighty Irish setter; Mitt Romney as a collie, programmed to, when he’s not riding on the top of cars, save people who have fallen into wells; Rick Santorum as a Presa Canario-Chihuahua mix; Newt Gingrich as a grumpy old bulldog; Herman Cain as a frisky pointer who missed his neutering appointment.

In a way, I hate to see dogs dragged into something as sleazy as politics, but with dogs being used to sell everything from toilet paper to insurance, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

(All of our Woof in Advertising selections can be found archived here.)

A mastiff that killed a terrier-Chihuahua mix Thursday at Charlotte’s Frazier Dog Park mistook the smaller dog for his favorite chew toy, according to the man who brought the mastiff to the park.

On Thursday, Maran Heatwole walked into the dog park with her 12-pound dog, Presley. Witnesses said the mastiff, about 140 pounds, picked up Presley and shook her from side to side, reports the Charlotte Observer.

The man who brought the mastiff to the park told the newspaper that the dog had been playing at the park with his favorite toy, a brown stuffed bear. When Presley walked by, he said, the mastiff picked her up because they looked similar.

The newspaper did not identify the man by name, and he declined to give the dog’s name, but he did provide a photo of the toy in question.

He said he feels sorry for Presley’s owner, but pointed out the park has a separate area designated for small dogs, and that Presley should have been there. He said the mastiff was not his, but belongs to his girlfriend’s relatives in Tennessee.

Heatwole drove Presley to Dilworth Animal Hospital after the incident but veterinarians were unable to save the dog.

Heatwole passed the man’s name on to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control. Officials there said Sunday night that the case is under investigation.

Parks officials said this is the first fatal incident they know of at one of the county’s five dog parks, which have been open for eight years.

Joseph Hawley, Heatwole’s fiance, said the couple is devastated by the loss and plans to lobby for stricter safety regulations for aggressive dogs in parks. “We’re gonna do as much as we can to make sure no other owner or family has to go through this.”

President-elect Obama expressed a desire for “a big rambunctious dog,” as opposed to a “yappy,” lap-sitting, “girly dog” in an ABC News interview with Barbara Walters.

Here’s the exchange that took place between Barack and Michele Obama when Walters  suggested that the First Family get the breed of dog she has — a Havanese, which she referred to as a small, “non-allergenic” terrier.

Obama: “But it’s, like, a little yappy dog …”

Mrs. Obama: “Don’t criticize small dogs…”

Obama: “But it, like, sits in your lap and things.”

Mrs. Obama: “Yes, it’s a cute dog.”

Obama: “It sounds kind of like a girly dog … We’re going to have a big rambunctious dog of some sort.”

Walters had sent Michele Obama a picture of her Havanese, Cha Cha, short for Cha Cha Cha. Obama, in the interview, seemed against the idea of a small dog, but, as he also points out in the interview, Michele often gets the last word.

Obama told Walters that his promise of a dog for his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, has produced an avalanche of advice and dog pictures. “We’re getting more advice about this than my economic policy,” he said with a laugh. “No doubt about it.” He also wanted to be certain that his daughters are going to be willing to “scoop the poop” on the White House lawn.

The interview airs at 10 p.m. tonight on “A Barbara Walters Special: Barack and Michele Obama.”