The U.S. Capitol and the 'Dog' House of Representatives

WASHINGTON—During these long ‘Dog Days of Summer,’ it appears as if the U.S. House of Representatives has gone to the dogs, not the Rep. Stephanie Murphy-led Blue Dog Democrats, but to actual furry friends.

Earlier this week we noticed a little furry dog walking in the House chamber with Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA).

No one expected to see an actual dog walk through the metal detectors Speaker Nancy Pelosi placed in front of every entrance into the House Chamber, but it happened.

This Thursday, the same dog went through the metal detector again on her way into the House Chamber for another round of votes.

Moments later, members of the House of Representatives cast their votes on a bevy of amendments to some bills, and the dog high-tailed back to his or her office.

Enough was enough, we had to find out more about the little furball.

After “hounding” her for the better part of the day, we were finally able to catch up to Rep. Wild shortly before the last votes on Thursday.

According to Rep. Wild, Zoey the dog has her own Instagram page named ZoeytheCongress Dog and is not a service animal, as we assumed she was.

“She doesn’t go on the floor, she goes into the Cloakroom,” said Rep. Wild. “I just push the envelope although I believe every dog is a therapy dog. She’s not certified.”

Zoey the Dog is hard at work reading over legislation

In speaking to over a dozen Capitol hill reporters, no one can remember seeing an actual dog walk into the House chamber. Capitol Police officers told The Floridian that dogs are not allowed in the chamber, but that exceptions were obviously being made.

Zoey doesn’t get to vote, although the jury is still out on whether she takes part in the practice of proxy voting. Proxy voting is the practice of members throwing other members a "bone" by voting for them.

Rep. Wild reiterates that her pooch only goes into the Cloakroom and lives large on congressional handouts.

Congressional handouts? Where have we heard about those before?

“She just goes in the cloakroom while I vote, and everyone just feeds her scraps,” added Wild, who said that her son usually takes care of Zoey during long vote series, but he was currently out of town.

While dogs are not uncommon on  Capitol Hill, as dozens of members of Congress usually have one or two canines wandering around their congressional offices, never has a dog walked into the House chamber until now.

Take for example, Rep. Kat Cammack. Rep. Cammack has two full-grown pups roaming around her office. Not only will these little Cujos lick you to death when you enter Cammack’s office, but they will also leave your clothing with a layer of furry fun.

Zoey has broken the mold. She is not living a "ruff" life, to say the least.