Shakes is a shy and gentle pit bull mix, who is quite the multistate pup. He was rescued by Sutherland summer associate (and aspiring SALT team member) Mikka Gee Conway (University of Minnesota Law School, 2011) and her husband, Mike, in 2004, after being abandoned near a dumpster in North Hollywood, California. Currently living comfortably in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where green grass, trails, squirrels, and rabbits are plentiful, Shakes eagerly awaits his move to Washington D.C. where he hopes to jump into the political scene with all four paws.
This handsome fellow is aptly named for the title character in “Shakes the Clown,” the 1991 cult classic starring Bobcat Goldthwait (critically acclaimed as “the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies”). In keeping with clown custom, Shakes has a large repertoire of tricks including shaking hands, sitting up, high-fiving, rolling over and playing dead. His funniest trick is howling along with the answering machine, or whenever he hears Mikka say, “Please leave a message after the beep.” With such a personality, Shakes will be in good company with the other Sutherland SALT pets.