Mike Bloomberg Had A Weird Encounter With A Dog On The Campaign Trail

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg had an odd encounter on the campaign trail this week. 

He met a dog. But instead of petting the animal, Bloomberg grabbed the dog’s muzzle and gave it a shake in what seemed like an odd spin on a handshake.

The dog wagged its tail and seemed happy enough to meet the former mayor of New York. 

Gothamist cheekily asked Bloomberg spokesperson Stu Loeser if the candidate knew how to pet a dog.

“You know that he’s playing with the dog, right?” Loeser said, adding a link to an ASPCA article about “mouthing” that doesn’t quite explain why Bloomberg was shaking the dog’s muzzle.

A number of websites also refer to “muzzle-grabbing” behavior between dogs, but are mixed about whether humans should or should not attempt it. 

So was Twitter: