NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang cries as he describes giving away the family dog Grizzly because his son was allergic to it
- Yang tweeted on Sunday that he had to give away his family dog Grizzly
- His son Christopher developed an allergy to Grizzly and had a respiratory attack
- The family gave the dog to friends in California and it now lives an ‘upgraded life’
- Yang nonetheless said on Monday it ‘still hurts’ and Grizzly was ‘his best friend’
- He hopes to replace Bill de Blasio later this year and once had his eye on the White House
New York City Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang cried on Monday as he told journalists about having to give away his family’s dog Grizzly because one of his son’s was allergic to it.
Yang, 46, who hopes to replace Bill de Blasio later this year, was speaking at a press conference to at a battery storage facility in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, when he was asked about the dog.
He had tweeted on Sunday – National Pet Day – that the family had to give Grizzly away because of his son Christopher’s allergy.
Yang has two young sons with his wife Evelyn. He previously announced that Christopher, the oldest, was on the autism spectrum.
Andrew Yang, 46, cried on Monday as he described giving the family dog away because his son developed an allergic reaction
Yang with the family dog Grizzly, which they had to get rid of because his son was so allergic
Yang with his wife Evelyn and their two young sons. Christopher, far left, is the oldest
Yang was cheery when he started telling the story on Monday then his voice broke and he covered his face, reappearing to say: ‘I don’t know why… it hurts’.
‘Grizzly, man, that still hurts. Grizzly was our family dog and one of our sons, our older son, developed a severe allergy to him.
‘I have to say I was in denial, I was like “no way”. Evelyn [his wife] was like, “no I really think it’s Grizzly.”
‘There was one night when Christopher had a respiratory attack and had a hard time breathing.
‘And that’s when I knew…it hurts, I don’t know why, ugh it was terrible. It was awful.
‘We did end up upgrading his life in some way. He went to very close friends of ours in California who pamper him, I think even more than we do. He was like a member of the family.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is stepping down in November after reaching the maximum number of terms he can. Right now, Yang is the Democratic frontrunner
‘We miss him all the time. He was my best friend,’ Yang said.
On Sunday, he tweeted: ‘On #NationalPetsDay celebrating our dog Grizzly who we raised as a puppy but had to give away because one of our boys became allergic to him.
‘Miss you Grizz! #dogsforyang’
He also shared a video of Grizzly jumping up at his feet, and said: ‘He still remembers daddy.’
Yang is leading in the polls with fewer than two months before the Democratic primary that will decide on the party’s candidate.
Whoever inherits New York City in November, when the actual election takes place, will have the responsibility of bringing it back from economic ruin brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before de Blasio won in 2014, the city had had a Republican mayor for 20 years with Rudy Giuliani and then Michael Bloomberg.
There are three Republican candidates; Fernando Mateo, a businessman, Curtis Sliwa, a radio host and the founder of the Guardian Angels, and Sara Tirschwell, a financier.
De Blasio cannot run again without a break of at least four years.
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