Lara Trump sparks controversy with photo of puppy shelter cages: 'Think about the kids separated from their families!'

Elise Solé
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Lara Trump’s Instagram post about puppies turned political when she asked fans to show sympathy for shelter dogs housed in cages, a situation many compared to the immigration crisis.

On Wednesday, the 35-year-old Trump campaign official shared a photo featuring a shelter dog cage, originally posted by Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, a not-for-profit animal rescue organization. “Imagine if this was your view,” she wrote. “Day in and day out people would come by and stand in front of your cage and stare at you. They would tell you to sshhh if you barked. They would laugh if you ran around frantically. Some would cry if you looked sad. Imagine people reading the info on your cage and just moving on. Imagine being on display like furniture in a storefront. Can you imagine?”

Trump urged followers to spend time with the dogs, who often feel scared and vulnerable. “Shelter dogs likely had families at one time,” she concluded. “Each of them has had their lives turned upside down through no fault of their own. Imagine being let down by humans over and over. Put yourself in their place. Try to imagine.”

Lara Trump’s Instagram post about rescue puppies backfired. (Photo: Getty Images)
Lara Trump’s Instagram post about rescue puppies backfired. (Photo: Getty Images)

Imagine if this was your view. Day in and day out people would come by and stand in front of your cage and stare at you. They would tell you to sshhh if you barked. They would laugh if you ran around frantically. Some would cry if you looked sad. Imagine people reading the info on your cage and just moving on. Imagine being on display like furniture in a storefront. Can you imagine? Dogs that are in a shelter cage can feel scared and vulnerable. They often times are anxious and depressed. When looking for a forever family member please take all of this into consideration. Spend time with the dogs outside of their cages. Choose based on your time together…not on what you see through those bars. Shelter life is not real life. Cages can make the gentlest soul appear "crazy" or "aggressive" simply because he is scared. When visiting a shelter or a pound please be aware of the broken hearts in those cages. Show them respect. If a particular dog acts up when you are in front of his cage please move on. He doesn't want to be on display and has nowhere to hide. Teach your children not to taunt the dogs by running or jumping around. This always leads to more chaos and stress for all. Shelter dogs likely had families at one time. Each of them has had their lives turned upside down through no fault of their own. Imagine being let down by humans over and over. Put yourself in their place. Try to imagine.💔 dogsofinstagram #rescuedogsrocknyc #rdrnyc #betheirvoice #adoptdontshop #adoptisthenewshop #adopt #love #dogs #rescueismyfavoritebreed #voiceforthevoiceless #whywerescue #weeklyfluff #instadog #donatetoday #donate #dogsofnyc #foster #newyorkcity #rescuedogs #savethemall #stopabuse #seesomethingsaysomething

A post shared by Lara Trump (@laraleatrump) on Aug 14, 2018 at 8:02pm PDT

The photo angered people who compared the dogs’ shelter conditions to those of immigrants and their children held in cagelike conditions as a result of President Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. The angry comments flooded in.

“Think about the kids separated from their families?!?!” one incredulous person wrote. “Lara….. What about the hundreds of thousands incarcerated humans here in the U.S.?” another person penned.

“There. Are. Children. In. Cages!” commented another.

People who attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border and were detained by U.S. Border Patrol, housed in the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas. (Photo: Getty Images)
People who attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border and were detained by U.S. Border Patrol, housed in the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump is already under fire because of a leaked audio recording made in 2017 by fired White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, in which Trump offered her a $180,000 salary to work for the president’s reelection campaign, as reported by NBC News.

To publicize her new book, Unhinged, which details her controversial tenure as White House communications director for the Office of Public Liaison, Manigault Newman has been releasing snippets of secretly taped audio of conversations between herself and Trump officials.

Of the exchange with Lara Trump, according to NBC News, Manigault Newman claims the offer was “hush money” and “an attempt” by the administration “to buy my silence, to censor me, and to pay me off.”

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