You can tell it’s an election year. You see placards, bumper stickers and t-shirts proclaiming the owner’s candidate of choice. And now, their pets can get in on the action too. Four Minnesota friends, including one Ohio native, have launched a company "Get Out the Dog Vote". The site provides political party pet gear and satirical political news from a dog’s point of view. There is even a Doggie Electoral Map™ - when you purchase an Obama or McCain bandana, you can place a vote on behalf of your dogs. Even Al Gore gives the pets props.
FDR and Fala monument
This got me thinking about White House pets through the years and some of the more famous presidential dogs and cats. Only one president and pet have their own 10-foot bronze statue in Washington, DC – that would be Franklin D. Roosevelt and Fala, his faithful Scottish Terrier. Did you know that FDR once made an address after libelous statements were made about Fala? Neither did I. You can read it here. I wonder if that’s where Richard Nixon got the idea for his famous Checkers speech.
Millie and Barbara Bush
I do think that Millie, owned by George H. and Barbara Bush, was the first canine author in the White House. She and the First Lady co-wrote “Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush”. And being the magnanimous Springer Spaniel that she was, Millie didn’t take a dime and raised funds for Barbara Bush’s Literacy Campaign. Millie gave birth to Spot, who became a White House pet when George W. Bush took office, keeping it all in the family.
Socks the White House Cat
Socks and Bill Clinton closely followed on the heels of the Bush family and the literary Socks was the subject of a cartoon book called Socks Goes to Washington: The Diary of America's First Cat, written by Michael O'Donoghue and Jean-Claude Suares. However, I was unaware that when the Clintons left the White House Socks stayed behind. Socks is now 19 years old and living with Bettie Currie, Clinton’s private secretary. They still do public appearances and he looks very content.
For more information on Presidential Pets try the White House website and this site where I know I learned a lot, including that the Trumans weren't really pet people.
