[Washington, DC] Animal rights activists were up in arms Friday, as reports came in that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat from Nevada, savagely kicked a retired ranch dog lying in his path as he toured a property near Reno.  Witnesses say that Senator Reid had to be forceably restrained by his staff so that caretakers could attend to the injured animal.

The dog, a mixed-breed working dog named "Pace", was taken to a local veterinary hospital where x-rays showed no broken bones but physical examination revealed substantial bruising.

"Pace is a tough dog," Mark Hassler, a ranch hand who was present at the incident, said.  "He's been around the block a few times.  He'll be just fine."

"On the other hand, though, that doesn't make this alright.  My boss is really pissed... I have to say I'm not happy either.  Pace is a member of the family here, and there was just no reason for this."

The ranch owner, and Pace's master, Phillip Dischete (pronounced dish-SHAY), would not speak to the press except to say that Senator Reid is no longer welcome on his property. 

Hassler, 36, a 15-year employee on the cattle ranch, was more willing to talk.

"This dog," he said, "has served us well.  He's been loyal, hardworking, and given us a life of service - he's highly intelligent.  He deserves better than this.  Pace was our 'big dog' around here for... well, quite a while.  Last year we trained one of his pups to replace him.  This year we retired him."

"When I told the Senator this he completely flipped out," said Hassler. "He ran straight over to Pace, and laid the shoe leather to him, all the while yelling 'incompetent' over and over again, whatever the hell that means.  He had to have kicked that dog five or six times before his people pulled him off and walked him back to his limo."

Neither Senator Reid's staff in Washington or Nevada would answer any questions, however a spokesman did tell us by phone that the Democratic Leader will issue a statement on Monday. 

While Nevada animal rights groups are demanding an apology, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals could not be reached by phone before publication of this story.

Friday afternoon, Erin Edwards, PETA Media Liason, called the offices of Official News Agency and reached editor G Keith Burgin.  Edward's call was in response to a follow-up email from Steven Singh requesting comment.

She expressed regret that we were unable to contact her organization by phone, and promised to look this story over and provide a comment if appropriate. We thank PETA for their diligence and courtesy. The last line of this story has been altered by the editor-in-charge to reflect this response. -ed