Facebook photos posted by Sarah Palin showing her son Trig using the family dog as a step stool unleashed online fury Friday reminiscent of the public reaction to the disclosure that Mitt Romney had once driven with his dog strapped on the car's roof.

Trig, 6, who has Down syndrome, is shown stepping on the back of the family's black Labrador while it lies on the kitchen floor in order to reach the sink. The dog appears unruffled.

The Facebook post by Palin drew more than 12,000 comments by midday Friday, ranging from cries of animal abuse to those backing up Palin's praise for the youngest of her five children.

"May 2015 see every stumbling block turned into a stepping stone on the path forward," Palin wrote on her Facebook page.

"Trig just reminded me. He, determined to help wash dishes with an oblivious mama not acknowledging his signs for 'up!', found me and a lazy dog blocking his way. He made his stepping stone," Palin wrote.

The message earned 50,000 "likes" from some of Palin's 4.5 million Facebook followers.

Palin, a former governor of Alaska, was the running mate of Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008.