Yeah, but … Nixon loved his dogs!
By Gina Spadafori
December 18, 2007
The New York Times this morning pokes at some of the Republican candidates, who seem to have a difficult time understanding how best to care for a dog:
First, it was discovered that Mitt Romney once strapped the family pooch, Seamus, on top of his car on a family trip, a scene that calls to mind Chevy Chase’s carelessness in the movie “Vacation.”
And then there was the revelation that Rudolph W. Giuliani’s wife, Judith, once worked for a company that killed puppies in the testing of medical equipment.
Now, Newsweek reports that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s son David, at 17, was kicked out of a Boy Scout camp in Hatfield, Ark. after allegations surfaced that he was involved in the hanging of a dog, killing it.
Here’s the rest. Personally, I knew I would never vote for Romney the minute I read about his treatment of his dog. Never. But honestly, idiotic dog care isn’t limited to the GOP. Let’s jump in the time machine:
Bush, George W. By all accounts the Bush 43 seems to be more than capable of caring for (and about) the family’s two Scottish terriers. I think he takes after his mom in this. Grade: A.
Clinton, William Jefferson (Bill). When the going got tough, the Clintons got a dog. Buddy was later hit by a car after Clinton left the White House, and Socks the cat was dumped. Grade: F
Bush, George H.W.: Millie and Ranger. Nice, well mannered and well-trained springers. Millie even wrote a best-seller. Points off for breeding Millie for nothing but the photo ops. Grade: B
Reagan, Ronald: First the unmannered, un-house-trained Bouvier des Flandres got banned to the ranch, then the little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dragged the firsy lady across the White House lawn. Grade C.
Carter, Jimmy: Amy Carter seemed to take good care of her cat. But Grits the dog was returned. Grade: Incomplete
Ford, Gerald: The family’s golden retriever, Liberty, was the butt of jokes on “Saturday Night Live.” But aside from the dopey name, the dog seemed to be a good match for the Fords. [Update: Points off for breeding another White House photo op.] Grade: B
Nixon, Richard: The Nixons loved and took good care of their dogs. King Timahoe, the Irish setter, may have been the only person the president really trusted during the Watergate years. And who can forget the cocker spaniel Checkers, who saved Nixon’s career? Grade: A
Johnson, Lyndon Baines: The man picked up his beagles by the ears! ‘Nuff said. Grade: D
Kennedy, John Fitzgerald: The Kennedy family’s legendary love of all the four-leggeds made for a lively White House, with everything from a pony named Macaroni to all kinds of dogs. After JFK died, his widow and children continued to cherish animals. JFK Jr. left behind a well-loved Canaan dog when he died. Grade: A.
So … it’s a mixed bag, truly.
Lyndon Johnson actively abused his dogs, and gets a D.
Bill Clinton’s dog is killed in an accident that we all hope will not happen to our dogs, but which, if we are honest, we all know could happen, because we do not have perfect control of the world. And Chelsea’s cat, which Bill is allergic to, goes home with a staffer whom he (Socks, the cat) has known and liked for years, when Chelsea goes off to college and can’t take him with her. Bill gets an F.
Real clear thinking there, Gina!
Comment by Lis — December 18, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Hey, it’s subjective! :)
My take is that LBJ actually cared about his dogs, but was a “man of his time and place,” while to Clinton pets were just props. Not to mention: Buddy wasn’t the first Clinton pet to get run over. Happened when Clinton was governor, too.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 18, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Oh, and a question—a serious question. GHWB and Babs lose points for breeding Millie, which seems fair enough. But that being the case, why don’t the Fords lose points for breeding Liberty?
Comment by Lis — December 18, 2007 @ 10:47 am
Because I forgot. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 18, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Now, I would think that someone who picks his dogs up by their ears is not someone who cares about them all that much, at least not as living beings capable of feeling pain.
As for Buddy being the second Clinton pet to get run over—in any story involving the Clintons, I want more details than that. Case in point: Placing an aging cat with someone he knows and likes, when the household member whose pet he was is going off to college and can’t take him, instead of keeping him in a home where the most-available family member is allergic and not a cat person (remember, Hillary was running for the NY US Senate seat), is not something that would ordinarily be described as “dumping” if done by someone less reflexively villified. For instance, Jeffrey Dahmer.
Comment by Lis — December 18, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Zeke the dog.
By the way … I’m not making a political statement on Bill (or Hillary) Clinton with regard to their pets. Heck, I voted for him twice.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 18, 2007 @ 11:00 am
Because I forgot. :)
Ah! So, does that knock them down to a C? :)
Full disclosure: I was recently reminded about the Fords breeding Liberty, by a rerun of the Animal Planet “Breed All About It” episode covering Goldens. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have remembered, either.
In defense of both the Fords and the elder Bushes: Liberty’s and Millie’s puppies were, at least, in no danger of not finding good homes and winding up in shelters. Which does nothing to negate the silly reasons they were bred, of course.
Comment by Lis — December 18, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Well, okay, I’ve now looked at that link. It cites rumors as evidence of Hillary’s dislike of Zeke. It sarcasticly refers to her as “the smartest woman in the world.” It offers two accounts of Chelsea’s acquisition of Socks as told by Hillary, one very detailed and one a quick one-liner on her way to her main point, and offers the fact that they are not identical as proof of Hill’s phoniness. (One recounts in loving detail the circumstances that led to Chelsea bringing the cat home from her piano teacher’s; the other just says Chelsea brought the kitten home.)
That site is exactly the sort of irrational Clinton-bashing calmly swallowed whole even by, yes, Clinton voters. The Clintons may have been irresponsible owners for Zeke. They may have had excellent intentions but not yet learned anything about dog training and handling. Zeke may have been an over-the-top difficult first dog for a family. There’s no way to make a judgment based on an account so loaded with venom. Given what the noise machine has done over the last sixteen years, the first question I’d ask is whether any of the “neighbors” referred to actually lived there when the Clintons did.
Heck, if I had to base it on that account alone, I would not bet a large sum of money on the Clintons having ever owned a dog named Zeke.:)
And no, this isn’t about politics. Politically, I think Lyndon Johnson did an enormous amount of good domestically. And I’d be willing to entertain the possibility that GWB is the Anti-Christ. But as dog owners, it’s also no contest, and it goes the other way.
Comment by Lis — December 18, 2007 @ 11:24 am
Fair enough, and here’s a less inflammatory version about the the ill-fated Zeke.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 18, 2007 @ 11:48 am
i thought someone else was taking care of buddy when he was hit.
they kept socks the cat on a long line at the WH when they let him out so he couldn’t wander off. also, buddy and socks didn’t like it each other much from what i’ve read. i’ll see if i can find the links.
Comment by straybaby — December 18, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
here’s the link:
http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/socks.html
Comment by straybaby — December 18, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
Am I the only one who finds it funny that one of the current sponsors of this blog is Vari Kennel, with the ad line: “the most safe and secure way to travel.”
anyone know what kind of kennel Romney used when he put his dog on top of the car?
;-)
Comment by EmilyS — December 18, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Hmmmmm. Well, I wouldn’t want to speak for Petmate, but I’d be willing to bet putting a Varikennel on the roof rack is not recommended by the company in any way, shape or form.
Sure as heck ain’t recommended by the PetConnection team!
By the way, straybaby, that picture of Socks with the White House photographers is one of my all-time favorites pet pics.
Presidential cat trivia: The first Siamese cat in the United States was a gift (from the ruler of Siam) to Lucy Hayes, first lady to Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 18, 2007 @ 2:20 pm
the photographer on the ground cracks me up! i always liked socks at the WH. he was just your ‘typical’ cat. he’s also quite a looker :)
Comment by straybaby — December 18, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
There is Clinton bashing, and their is over-vehement Clinton defending. Hell, I would vote for Hillary if allowed (I am a resident alien) but I can still see that they seem a little less than fully committed to their pets as family members.
Comment by emily — December 18, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Not only did the junior Huckabee allegedly hang the dog (dad describes as emaciated with mange) daddy Huckabee managed to strongarm the authorities to NOT pursue animal abuse charges against junior Huckabee. That’s the part that really bothers me! Junior might be a loser, but if daddy is condoning it and “protecting” this behavior then we’ve got serious issues here! And I’m a voting independent!!!
Comment by catmom5 — December 19, 2007 @ 7:28 am
Huckabee defended his son on Larry King Live show—and one of the defenses was, “He was under 18-and he then went on to win an Eagle Scout Badge.
Maybe the father should have taught his son not to kill dogs, or
it wasn’t that important a lesson, by Huckabee’s standards.
Comment by Colorado Transplant — December 19, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
he even tried to slip in they thought the dog was aggressive on LKL. um, well then how did they manage to hang it? once they had something around the dog’s neck, seems to me they could have confined it and contacted the proper authorities . . .
Comment by straybaby — December 20, 2007 @ 12:39 am
Hey Gina, JFK also had Dobes. :)
Comment by Judi — December 20, 2007 @ 9:35 am