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 Washingtonn D.C., 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 owns 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 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).
Obamas owned Bo and Sunny. They were Spanish Water Dogs, When Bo died, President Obama said: "For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and every day in between. He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite.” I make no political infernal noting that Bo had big bark, but no bite !
After President Obama, came president Trump. President Trump is the only president I know who did not own a dog. In fact it is reported Trump having said that "he would feel 'a little phony' having a dog. During his presidency, Trump’s statement in favor of President Putin surely must have raised the concerns of republicans who made a note of Putin’s remarks about Barney and surely shared the sentiments of the influential Bush family. After all, they may have reasoned, Trump did not own a dog to have an appreciation of the adversary. No wonder that Bushes and his repulican allies did not support Trump at the 2020 presidential election Trump lost.
The Bidens came to the White House with two German Shepherd dogs, named Champ and Major. German Shepherd dogs are no poodles but I am not sure how they measure against the dog Putin owned and bragged about to George w. Bush, dismissing Bush's dog as a "no dog". One thing was appeared to be certain, that Biden’s administration would have a more aggressive stand towards Russia and it did, rightfully or wrongly, it sure did.
Yesterday was the Super Tuesday. The incumbent Joe Biden and the ex-president Trump, carried the electoral votes of the 16 states that voted. Barring the unexpected, they will be the presidential contenders. The incumbent Joe Biden owns German shepherds. Ex-president Trump seems to have an aversion for dogs, owns neither a poodle nor a hound dog. As to Putin, it is not likely that he has given up on his “huge hound”.
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