Ever wonder who the candidates leave behind when they’re on the campaign trail – other than their families, that is? Yes, a few of our current (and former) crop of presidential candidates are pet lovers just like you and me! Here’s the rundown:

Republicans

• John McCain’s house must be quite the zoo! His animal family includes dogs Sam (English Springer Spaniel) and Coco (mutt), turtles Cuff and Link, cat Oreo, a ferret, three parakeets and a tank-ful of fish.
• Mike Huckabee is a true dog person. He owns Jet (Black Lab) and Sonic (Shih Tzu).
• Rudy Giuliani has no pets back home. People say his wife, Judy, keeps him on a pretty short leash!

Democrats

• Barack Obama has no pets currently, but his daughters are lobbying very hard for a dog!
• Hillary Clinton (and her husband Bill) shared the White House with Socks (black and white cat) and Buddy (Chocolate Lab). The two pets famously did NOT get along. The Clintons have since adopted another lab named Seamus.
• John Edwards has both a Chocolate Lab and a Golden Retriever. Am I alone in thinking Edwards reminds you an awful lot of a golden retriever?