All The Presidents' Dogs
By Pimms
As we celebrate the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, I’d like to give a big bark-out to all my four-legged pals who served as best friend, loyal sidekick, and tail-wagging companion to America’s presidents over the course of this Semiquincentennial.
The very first president, George Washington, adored foxhounds. He gave them names that made my ears stand at attention: Sweetlips, Drunkard, Taster, and Tipler. I can’t imagine my owner saying to me, “Shake a paw, Drunkard,” “Roll over, Sweetlips,” or “Sit, Tipler.”
I feel sorry for Pete, Theodore Roosevelt’s bull terrier. He had to compete with more than 40 pets at the White House. The menagerie included cats, guinea pigs, and horses, along with exotic species like a badger, a bear, and a one-legged rooster named Fierce.
Warren G. Harding had a reclusive bulldog named Old Boy and an Airedale terrier called Laddie Boy. The latter became the first White House “celebrity” dog. He brought the newspaper to the president at breakfast each morning, sat in a specially designed chair during cabinet meetings, and tagged along on the golf course. The president had 1,000 bronze miniatures made in Laddie Boy’s image, worth thousands today, if you can find one.
Fala was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s beloved Scottish terrier. He was a constant companion, whether at overseas conferences or visits to military bases. His Secret Service code name was “The Informer,” because if you saw Fala, you knew the president was nearby. I’ve been called many things, but never an “Informer.”
Richard Nixon had an Irish setter named King Timahoe, better known simply as Tim. Tim clearly had quite the sweet tooth. During a surprise party for the president’s 61st birthday, he was caught helping himself to a large piece of cake before the guests had a chance. Honestly, I would have eaten the whole cake.
John F. Kennedy had a mixed-breed puppy named Pushinka (“fluffy” in Russian), given to him by Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. Secret Service agents were so wary that they checked her for hidden microphones and listening devices before allowing her into the White House. Now that is what I call sniffing out the Cold War.
Everyone knows the expression “Like father, like son,” but in this case it might be “Like mother, like son.” During his time in the White House, 41st POTUS George H.W. Bush had a beloved English springer spaniel named Millie. In 1989, Millie gave birth to a litter of puppies there, including one named Spot. Then, in 2001, when 43rd POTUS George W. Bush arrived at the White House, he brought Spot with him, the very same dog born there during his father’s presidency. Keeping it in the family is something dogs understand.
Bill Clinton reportedly said he wanted “one loyal friend in Washington,” so he got a Labrador retriever named Buddy. The chocolate Lab quickly became a beloved companion, and the two were said to be fast friends. I’ve always had a soft spot for Buddy, especially for having to put up with that feisty cat Socks. Living with a cat should count as public service.
My own noble lineage, the Old English sheepdog, never would’ve gotten a sniff at the White House during the years of Barack Obama. Because his eldest daughter had allergies, the family needed a sneeze-friendly breed. So instead, Bo, a Portuguese water dog, trotted in first, with Sunny later joining the First Family pack.
So as America marks 250 years, let us not forget that while presidents came and went, dogs remained steady at their side, offering loyalty, comic relief, and the occasional stolen slice of cake. We asked for no titles, signed no treaties, and never gave a speech, yet we may have been the most trusted advisers of all. If those White House walls could talk, I suspect they would simply say: good dogs, every one of them, and probably better behaved than a few presidents.