A
senior adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo is rejecting a news report that said he was
leaving his dog behind as he steps away from the governorship in the state of
New York.
According
to a report by the
Albany Times Union, Cuomo, who has been staying with one of
his sisters in Westchester County, asked staff members at the Executive Mansion
if anyone would like to keep his dog, Captain.
State
police sources told the paper that Captain -- a shepherd, Siberian and malamute
mix – has nipped a multiple people since he adopted him in 2018.
Richard
Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, spoke out against the report on Twitter,
saying, “The Governor stayed downstate to monitor the storm … He will be
vacating the mansion tonight,” and that Captain is a member of the former
governor’s family.
But
the Times Union’s police sources say Cuomo tried giving the dog away to a
mansion employee, who allegedly “took the dog home and it didn’t work – the dog
walks him, he don’t walk the dog.”
But
animal advocates have spoken out against the move online, causing “Captain” to
trend on Twitter.
Libby
Post, executive director of the
New York State Animal Protection Federation,
wrote in a statement that her organization is “ready to help place Captain at
one of our larger New York State animal shelters,” which have “excellent
behavioral experts who can help Captain resolve his ‘nipping’ issues and adopt
him into a loving, forever home.”
Republican
mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa also chimed in on
Twitter, writing “As the next
mayor of NYC I wish to extend the invitation to adopt you as the first dog of
Gracie Mansion.”
Cuomo took to Twitter Monday night, posting a photo of him and his daughters with Captain saying, "Some people just can't get the facts straight. Yes, I was downstate monitoring storm response for a few days, but Captain and I are a man and his dog. He is part of our family and that’s the way it will always be."
Movers
were
first seen at the governor’s mansion on Friday shortly after he announced
that he would resign, giving way to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Gov.
Cuomo issued a
farewell address Monday afternoon, calling the state attorney
general’s report into allegations of sexual harassment against him a “political
firecracker” and said he would be exonerated by the facts.