On November 6th I posted Obama’s Puppy Pledge to see what Dogsters thought about the president-elect keeping his promise to adopt from a shelter.
On Friday, during the news conference, I sensed a bit of wavering when the president-elect stated “Obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.”
Obama was referring to Malia’s allergies and the need for finding a hypoallergenic dog, which may not be at a shelter. I guess only time will tell what dog will become the first dog.
There has been a long history of dogs at the White House so I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few.
The Reagans’ dog Lucky, a bouvier des Flandres, had trouble with the first dog’s constant scrutiny. Lucky once relieved himself in front of Marine 1 as Nancy Reagan looked on in mock horror. Lucky was more happy living out his days at the Reagan ranch above Santa Barbara, Calif.
The happiest White House dog may have been Liberty, the golden retriever given to Gerald Ford as a puppy. Liberty spent much time in the Oval Office, serving as a convenient object of attention when Ford needed to end a conversation.
In the 1944 presidential campaign, Franklin D. Roosevelt used his Scottish terrier to take a bite out of the Republicans. The GOP spread the rumor that a destroyer had to be dispatched back to the Aleutians to pick up the first dog.
To read all the fun and interesting facts about the White House dogs run on over to Search For The First Pooch Is No Joke by Joel Connelly.
* The above picture is former President Ford with Liberty.
