U.S. Rep. Bob Brady protects paws of Capitol Police pooches

Capitol Police dogs should soon be barking their gratitude to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady. The congressman recently noticed some of the bomb-sniffing dogs who inspect cars at the entrance to the Capitol Building were limping and was told it's because of the hot pavement. So Brady has arranged for the asphalt where the dogs work to be painted white.

The white paint is said to be 20 or 25 degrees cooler than the blacktop and Brady says the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service headquarters all have white paint for the benefit of their search dogs. Brady says the painting is to take place Saturday. He offered to provide paint, but the Capitol Police turned him down. "The dogs are getting hurt and they can't do their jobs. It's hard to concentrate on smelling a bomb if their feet are burning," Brady told us.

The dog-loving First District Congressman has a pooch of his own, a Pekingese named Tian Sho Minzhu, which he says translates loosely from Chinese as "Sweet Little Democrat."