Regnery Publishing, which released Pence’s book, blasted Oliver in a statement for bringing partisan politics into the release of a children’s story. An audiobook version features the voices of Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and RuPaul. To add nobility to his trolling of Pence’s politicized homophobia, Oliver also said that all proceeds from the book will go to The Trevor Project and AIDS United. “Also, our story is about Marlon Bundo falling in love with another boy rabbit, because our Marlon Bundo is gay-just like the real Marlon Bundo.” For one, his Marlon wears a jaunty bowtie. Oliver cheekily pointed out the differences between Marlon Bundo as portrayed in the respective books. The battle of the books began after the surprise release of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo Sunday night, orchestrated in response to the Pence book tour’s stop at Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group that the Human Rights Campaign calls “one of the most well-funded anti-LGBTQ organizations in America.”

The Pences’ effort had less than 50 reviews, and a woeful one-and-a-half-star rating. With over 1,200 user reviews by that time, the Last Week Tonightbook earned a rare five-star rating. 1 seller on Amazon, with the Pences’ book lagging noticeably behind at No. Keller, an artist from Pence’s home state of Indiana-was the No. That meant it beat a rival children’s book, Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President, written by Pence’s daughter Charlotte, and illustrated by his wife, Karen, by mere hours to the digital shelves.Īs of Monday afternoon, Last Week Tonight’s book-which was written by Jill Twiss and illustrated by E.G. On Sunday night John Oliver announced on HBO’s Last Week Tonight that A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a children’s book about a gay bunny, named after a pet rabbit owned by the family of Vice President Mike Pence, would be available immediately. The American Kennel Club recognizes 199 breeds.Literally overnight, the biggest star in the literary world has become a gay bunny named Marlon Bundo. There are over 340 dog breeds known throughout the world. Once approved by the AKC, a standard becomes both the breeder’s “blueprint” and the instrument used by dog show judges to evaluate a breeder’s work. The AKC standard for each breed originates with a “parent club,” the AKC-recognized national club devoted to a particular breed. So, then, when is a breed a breed and not just a kind or type of dog? The simplest way to define a breed is to say it always “breeds true.” That is, breeding a purebred Irish Setter to another purebred Irish Setter will always produce dogs instantly recognizable as Irish Setters.Įach breed’s ideal physical traits, movement, and temperament are set down in a written document called a “breed standard.” For example, the breed standard sets forth the traits that make a Cocker Spaniel a Cocker Spaniel and not a Springer Spaniel. All three have a distinct family resemblance, but you’d never mistake one for another. The Greyhound, for instance, was the foundation type for the immense Irish Wolfhound and the dainty Italian Greyhound. Eventually, there emerged specific breeds of dogs, custom-bred to suit the breeders’ local needs and circumstances. The sleek Greyhound types bred to chase fleet-footed prey, and the huge mastiff types used as guard dogs and warriors, are two ancient examples of dogs bred for specific jobs.Īs humans became more sophisticated, so did their dogs. Hunting, guarding, and herding are thought to be among the earliest jobs eagerly performed by the animal destined to be called “man’s best friend.”įor thousands of years, humans bred dogs toward the physical and mental traits best suited for the work expected of them. From the beginning, humans purposefully bred dogs to perform various tasks. The earliest dog breeders used wolves to create domestic dogs. People have been breeding dogs since prehistoric times.

Fat fluffy bunny with droppy ears