Dogs, Politics and President Putin

Vahe H. Apelian

(Note: edited in 2021 with President Biden taking office)

I believe President Putin's gesture of meeting with President Erdogan and his delegation in a room in Kremlin where the statue of Catherine II is prominently displayed was deliberate. The Tsarina had crushed Ottoman Turkey in Russo-Turkish war (1768-1774).

Dogs presidents own, also play a symbolic role in politics and in international relations between powerful leaders.

All the presidents I know, other than President Trump, owned a dog. After all, as President Truman famously said, if a president looks for a friend in Washington, he  better have a dog. The dogs the U.S. presidents own are no less known than their masters.  Reporters scrutinize the type of the dog the president's family own and measure their relationship in an effort to find out about the president's character.  When President Johnson lifted his beagle by its ears in front of reporters and photographers he made headline news and set off a nationwide barrage of protests from animal lovers. 

But for reporters, LBJ's treatment of his dog seemed to reinforce his character. President Lyndon B. Johnson was the second tallest president. He measured 6 ft 31/2 inches, short by a half an inch from the tallest, President Lincoln. It is said that LBJ had a tendency to stand close to someone and overpower him with his height. He had also a large ego. He had his wife's and his daughters' initials after his, LBJ.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush owned a Scottish terrier. According to Wikipedia "Barney (dog) Bush (birth née Bernard Bush; September 30, 2000 to February 1, 2013) was a Scottish Terrier. Barney had his own official web page which redirected to an extension of the White House website". President Bush seemed to dote on his dog. He would be seen carrying Barney on the White House lawn heading towards the attending helicopter. Barney seemed to have free access to the oval office.

After his retirement from public life, George W. Bush exhibited a latent talent in the painting of portraits. Some found George W. Bush's latent artistic talent remarkable. Others claimed that Bush officially established himself as an artist. He exhibited his paintings of some of the world leaders he shared the world stage, such as Tony Blair, Hamid Karzai, and famously Putin, whom he portrayed with clenched jaws, intensely focused blue eyes imparting an air of determination and being in charge.

George w. Bush explained his painting of Putin's portrait as follows: "As you know, our dear dog Barney, who had a special place in my heart — Putin dissed him and said ‘You really call that a dog?' "  A year later, President Bush went to visit Putin at his dacha outside Moscow. Putin showed him his dog, a "huge hound" much bigger than Barney. Then, quoting Bush,  "Putin kind of looks at me and he says 'Bigger, stronger and faster than Barney.' " The comment left President George W. Bush dumbstruck. (Adam Taylor, April 4, 2014, The Washington Post).

George W. Bush had Barney to have a measure of the former KGB intelligence officer Putin turned Prime Minister and President of Russia. Alas, President Donald J. Trump does not own a dog. It could have helped him assess Putin. 

The Bidens have German Shepherd dogs, named Champ and Major. They came with the rest of the family to the White House. German Shepherd dogs are no poodles but I am not sure how they measure against the dog Putin owns and bragged about to George w. Bush, dismissing Bush's dog as a "no dog". One thing appears to  be apparent, with dogs in the White House, a more aggressive shift towards Russia is palpable.

Note: Updated on May 6, 2021