This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I received the following news release from a reader last week.

Press Release — Special to The Salt Lake Tribune

The Salt Lake City Pug Harry Truman is considering entering the U.S. presidential race as a dark horse, or possibly a black dog, independent candidate.

Positive Facts about Harry Truman the Pug, in no particular order:

• Truman already has great name recognition, even though he has no middle initial.

• He is quite literally incapable of telling a lie.

• Like all dogs, he is colorblind.

• He has been neutered, so there is little likelihood of a scandalous relationship.

• In dog years, he'll be 54 at the time of his inauguration, a perfect age to take office.

• He has never held public office, and thus has no record to dog his candidacy.

• Truman is not an attorney.

• He takes a constitutional walk through his neighborhood every day, just like his predecessor, Harry S. Truman.

• He never met a man, woman or dog he didn't like.

Negatives for Truman are very few, but there are a couple:

• Truman sleeps a lot, but so did Reagan, and look what a great job he did.

• He can be bribed, but only with small amounts of food or a tennis ball.

If nominated he will not run, unless you throw a tennis ball; if elected he will not serve, but he will sit on command.

I read this news release with a great deal of interest because, people, I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CYCLE. Like Will Ferrell's character Mugatu in the movie "Zoolander," I feel like I'm taking crazy pills because everything right now looks so — you know — crazy. It's just bad reality TV spewing over the airwaves 24/7 these days.

Meanwhile, I think the Salt Lake City Pug Harry Truman has a CV worth considering. Truth be told, he looks like a much more promising candidate than my dog, Tinkerbell, a 6-month old Newfie puppy.

Don't get me wrong. Tinkerbell is super charming — not a bad quality for the leader of the free world to possess. Charm can get you a lot things when you're a leader, such as advantageous trade deals for your country, as well as an extra Milk-Bone and a pat on the head.

However! In human years, Tinkerbell is only 3 years old. Also, she drools. And, finally, she isn't reliably housebroken yet. At the very least, I think our nation should elect a president who's reliably housebroken, don't you? Like, that should be a basic requirement for presidents of the United States and possibly for presidents throughout the rest of the world.

Standards are important when it comes to leaders.

So yeah. I just might vote for the Salt Lake City Pug Harry when this November rolls around. Unless, of course, you can convince me that your dog (or possibly your cat) might be a better pick. To that end, send me a news release extolling the virtues of your pet. Include a head shot.

Do your best to woo me.

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/anncannontrib.