DOG FIGHT

At least one Tampa, Fla., rally's gone to the dogs already.

Amid a protest objecting to the way Mitt Romney transported the family pet on a years-ago vacation — inside an animal carrier strapped atop the car — a woman stepped into the crowd and began loudly defending the GOP candidate.

"What Mitt Romney did to his dog, his dog liked and it was safe and enjoyable," said Barbara Seidenberg. As several canine-toting protesters tried to shout her down, she pressed on.

"Barack Obama was a 10-year-old boy when he ate dog," she said, apparently referring to a passage in one of Obama's books in which he writes about eating dog meat as a boy in Indonesia. "But he was a grown man when he decided his whole persona and his life was going to be committed to turning this country into less of a country so that — "

She was drowned out by a protester yelling "Obama 2012!"

A shouting match ensued, and Seidenberg stormed off.

__ Peter Prengaman — Twitter — http://twitter.com/peterprengaman

EDITOR'S NOTE — Convention Watch shows you the 2012 political conventions through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.