Hail to the White House Dogs

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Written by Maryann Mannax

The Presidents of this country have had remarkable relationships with their beloved dogs and most of them were devoted animal lovers. President Calvin Coolidge once said, "Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House". The Presidential Pet Museum in Virginia was created in 1999 as a means of preserving information, artifacts and items related to Presidential pets.

Checkers is probably one of the presidential dogs with the most colorful background. Poor Checkers got involved in a scandal when his owner, Nixon, made his infamous Checkers speech. In this speech Nixon spoke to the nation and revealed the outcome of an independent examination of his finances. Nixon was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions, which he denied. The only thing he admitted to was accepting a Cocker Spaniel dog named Checkers from a traveling salesman. Perhaps the funniest name of all the White House Dogs was George Washington's dog, which was named Sweet Lips

Ronald Reagan had two dogs, Lucky and Rex. Lucky was a bit frisky and actually dragged President Reagan across the White House lawn right in front of Margaret Thatcher. Shortly after that incident, the poor dog was sent to live in another state. One of Theodore Roosevelt's dogs, Pete actually ripped the French ambassador's trousers during a get together at the White House.

Warren Harding's dog was given a chair to sit in at Cabinet meetings and George and Barbara Bush's dog, Millie, wrote a best selling book.

One of the most touching relationships between a President and his dog was with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his dog, Fala.

This dog was a Scottish terrier who went everywhere with him. President Roosevelt even gave a speech which was called The Fala Speech in which he stated "These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala.

Well, of course, I don't resent attacks, and my family doesn't resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I had left him behind on the Aleutian Islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him--at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars--his Scotch soul was furious.

He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself--such as that old, worm-eaten chestnut that I have represented myself as indispensable. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog."

It seems like the American public like presidents with pets and, in turn, these animals have helped create a benevolent image for the presidents that were lucky enough to have them around as their trusted friends.

Maryann Mannax
		About the author:
		Maryann Mannax is a contributing writer to Dogs Just Wanna Have Fun, a new online website dedicated to man's best friend. Find out the latest, greatest and most fun stuff for your dog. Go to: http://www.dogsjustwannahavefun.com

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