Dogs play a pivotal role when it comes to the US Presidential elections. Grey as all characters are in politics, pets are perhaps the only sheen of light they all can bask in. The voting public, for all the right reasons, prefers a dog friendly (wo)man in the Oval office.
No wonder, many a world’s favourite leaders are dogs!
Forget the Make America Great Again and CHANGE campaigns that put Obama and Trump at the helm, the only hope that humanity has now rests in giving canine their rightful place…the Oval office!
I know it may sound like a distant wish but you can never tell.
A brief history of US Presidents dogs
Donald Trump is the first president since Harry Truman without a pet.
1. FDR and his dog Fala
“You can criticize, me, my wife and my family, but you can’t criticize my little dog.”
~Franklin Delano Roosevelt
This famous quote of former US President FDR on his dog Fala is believed to have helped him secure the White House berth.
2. Warren Harding and Laddie Boy Harding gave his dog a hand-carved chair to sit on during high-level meetings, like a true member of his cabinet. He also celebrated Laddie Boy’s birthday with a party at the White House that included the neighborhood dogs and a birthday cake made from dog biscuits.
3. George Wahington’s dogs Tipsy and Drunkard wouldn’t have made through the PR circles today but that was a different century altogether.
Fun fact: If you ever wondered why many Americans commonly use the name “Fido” to refer to dogs, it’s because of President Abraham Lincoln’s dog, Fido.
4. Harry S Truman and Fellar Truman regifted the Cocker Spaniel, Feller, he received for Christmas to the White House physician. For someone who quoted, “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”, this was indeed ironic.
5. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Beagles Pictures of Johnson holding his Beagles, Him and Her, up by their ears weren’t taken that enthusiastically by the American public and rightly so.
Pushkina, the Cold war peace keeper
During the Cold War, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and US President John F Kennedy were at the forefront of the hostility between their countries. The Russian premier in a bid to ease the tension between the global superpowers gifted a cute little mongrel called Pushinka, to the White House.
Puskina, the Russian name, translates as Fluffy.
Also See: Laika, please come home!
6. Ronald Reagan and Lucky
7. President Bill Clinton with Buddy
When Buddy arrived at the White House, Clinton’s spokesman Mike McCurry told reporters that Clinton got the dog because “It’s the President’s desire to have one loyal friend in Washington.”
8. George W. Bush inherited a deep love for dogs from his father Bush Sr. In addition to pet dogs, he also had Ofelia, the cow and India, a cat at the White House.
9. Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dog, Bo.
When the United States warmed up to the 2012 presidential campaign, the media was abuzz with stories surrounding Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Earlier in the same year, quite a stir was caused by the Dog wars between presidential candidates. While Romney was in the eye of the storm for putting his dog on the roof of the car during a 1983 family trip to Canada, Obama drew ire for having tried dog meat during his growing up years in Indonesia.
Our in-house foreign affairs expert and strategic adviser to Pentagon, Dr Chunnu Murthy was unavailable to comment on this campaign however in the following lines we share what he had to say during the Bush v/s Obama campaign.
I like this Obama fellow and I have recently received an invitation to meet him. Passport and visa issues are being sorted out, especially since there is no precedent. But I gather he feels I may have perspectives on many issues especially the economy, Cyber-crime, equal-opportunity employment and education. Not to forget, world peace (failing which we shall be in pieces! Ha ha ha ha!) And of course the grim situation of the deteriorating quality of dog biscuits world-wide which has outraged many dogs lately.
I was never happy with that fellow Bush. He gave us bushy-tailed guys a complex and a pain in the tail. However, I wish him well.
Kaalicharan’s last visit to White House is commemorated in the painting towering over Obama’s head.
Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment
(it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this:)