COEUR d'ALENE - For a modest tip, Jerry and Kathy Boone's dog will take a ride on the family's mechanical bull attraction at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo.

But tippers who wish to capture the dog riding Samson the bull on camera will see something else in their camera's viewfinder - a Confederate battle flag.

Jerry told The Press on Friday that he hasn't received any complaints about his choice to display the flag.

"Everyone loves it," he said.

The Boones travel with their mechanical bull to fairs and other events around the country. When calls came to remove the Confederate flag from public buildings after it was linked to a gunman who killed nine people at a Charleston, S.C., church in June, Jerry said he began displaying it at their attraction.

"What more do we have to give?" Jerry asked emphatically. "That flag has nothing to do with racism and if people don't believe that then they need to study history and find out the truth."

Jerry added that the country as a whole has turned its back from God, and cited that as a reason for America's decline.

Dane Dugan, general manager for the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, told The Press that he didn't even notice the flag until Friday morning. He added that there have been no complaints about the battle flag being displayed during the fair.

"It hasn't been an issue. I would have known about it if anyone thought it was one," Dugan said. "If it becomes an issue, we will deal with it."

Multiple booths at the fairgrounds could be offensive to people, Dugan added, and he recommended people simply avoid them if that is the case.

"The fair is an opportunity for us to showcase the diversity of our community," Dugan said.