By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When Gov. Jim Justice dedicated the first four of eight historic and allegorical murals in the State Capitol Building on West Virginia Day last week, going unnoticed and unmentioned was the inclusion of Babydog – the governor’s English bulldog – in one of the murals.
Randall Reid-Smith, the cabinet secretary of the state Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH), said during that ceremony that the murals were the original intentions of the State Capitol Building’s architect, Cass Gilbert, who was unable to start the murals after the 1929 stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression dried up further funding for the artistic flourishes.
But Reid-Smith is now trying to explain why Babydog was included in one of the murals meant to fulfill Gilbert’s intentions and showcase the history, natural beauty, and culture of the Mountain State.
Babydog – one of several dogs owned by Justice who first came to public prominence in 2021 as the face of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination effort – has been a frequent and popular companion for the governor, often being seated next to him at public events and drawing in large crowds of children and adults alike. Justice once infamously lifted Babydog’s butt to the camera during a State of the State address, telling Bette Midler to kiss Babydog’s “heinie” after the famed actress made negative remarks about the state.
