Buddy’s trip to the vet

My cousin, Buddy went to the vet the other day. It was a family affair – my human cousin, Matt was in town for a few days, so the whole family went to the vet with Buddy! (I won’t mention how mom and Auntie abandoned Granmama, Matt, and Buddy at the vet to go shopping next door at the Goodwill. Oops! Did I let that slip?)

 I’m not getting in that car!

 Hold on to me, Matt! I’m scared!

 Wait! I have to make my mark like the rest of the dogs!

 Don’t weigh me! That does not say 83.9 pounds!

 NOOOOOOO! Don’t take me away!!!!

Seriously Buddy, get a grip. You came home with some medicine for your upset tummy and all is fine!! Dogs!!!

Missing you…

 

Yukon and Yuki

Y is for Yukon and Yuki

  Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969).

Yukon

President Herbert Hoover brought with him a pack of dogs to the WH; one of them was Yukon and his breed was listed as an “Eskimo dog.” An ‘Eskimo dog’ was likely a Malamute but as there aren’t any available photographs it’s hard to know exactly.

Representative photo

 

Yuki

President Lyndon B. Johnson may be more well known for his beagles, Him and Her, but the dog he truly seemed to favor was Yuki, a white terrier mix his daughter Luci found abandoned at a gas station in Johnson City, Texas in 1966. The President and Yuki (Japanese for snow) hit it off from the very beginning and the dog went to cabinet meetings, stayed in the oval office and was a frequent overnight guest in President Johnson’s bedroom (as opposed to the kennel where the dogs usually stayed when not with the family).  The President and Yuki enjoyed singing and swimming together, as well.

When the Republican nominee Richard Nixon stopped by the WH to discuss Vietnam, Johnson and Yuki walked Nixon out to Marine One. As Nixon prepared to board, Yuki went ahead and boarded. Johnson was heard to say, “Look, you’ve got my helicopter, you’re after my job, and now you want my dog!” Nixon allegedly responded, “I told you I want your job, not your dog!”

When President Johnson left the WH, Yuki went with him on Air Force One to the LBJ Ranch. The little dog was beside him when he died in 1973. After Johnson’s death, Yuki went to live with Luci Johnson Nugent. Johnson’s favorite dog died in 1979 aged 13-14 years.

President Johnson Trying to Sign New Bill…15 Dec 1967, Washington, DC, USA — A slight obstacle presented itself when President Johnson prepared to sign the meat inspection bill at the White House today. His pet dog Yuki jumped up on the desk. But the president finally signed the law, which he said would be used by the government to force dirty meat packing plants to “clean up or close down.” — Image by Bettmann/CORBIS

Yuki’s collar

  One more letter to go – Yay!!!!

Lucky and Labrador Retriever

L is for Lucky and Labrador Retriever

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) and William J. Clinton (1993-2001).

 

Lucky

President and Mrs. Reagan moved into the WH in 1981 without a dog. In December, 1984 that changed when they were gifted with Lucky, a Bouvier des Flandres, a small black ball of fluff.  He would later grow to the size of a pony, according to First Lady Nancy Reagan. Lucky was an active dog that needed plenty of room to roam and exercise and despite training efforts didn’t exactly fit into the WH style. He frequently walked the President instead of the other way around. Lucky didn’t last long in the WH; a year later in December, 1985, Lucky was taken to the Reagan’s California ranch to live out his life. Lucky died on January 5, 1995 and is buried at the ranch.

 

12/6/1984 President Reagan and Nancy Reagan holding a dog meeting with 1985 March of Dimes Poster Child Kristen Ellis from Hebron, New York in the Roosevelt Room

 20 Feb 1985, White House, Washington D.C., USA — President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher walk Reagan’s dog Lucky on the White House lawn. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

11/1/1985 President Reagan aboard the helicopter with his dog “Lucky” on his lap

3/7/1985 President Reagan with Nancy Reagan and Dog Lucky in oval office

Is this a dog or a pony?

Labrador Retriever

President Ronald Reagan had several ranch dogs, one of which was a black Labrador retriever named Millie.

Ronald Reagan driving his jeep with his dog on the ranch (maybe Millie?)

President William “Bill” J. Clinton had a chocolate Labrador Retriever named Buddy four years after he entered office. He was going through a particularly tough time as President and he needed a friend. Three-month old Buddy filled that need and also provided great photo ops for the WH. Buddy was named for Clinton’s recently-deceased great-uncle Henry “Buddy” Grisham who was a big influence in his life. The very public feud between Buddy and Socks (we’ll discuss Socks later) was followed with interest and somehow he and Socks got together and wrote the book Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets.  After leaving the WH, Buddy moved with the Clintons to their house in Chappaqua, New York where he romped and played with Clinton. Unfortunately, on January 2, 2002 Buddy was playing in the front yard and ran into the street where he was hit by a car and died of his injuries. He was 5 years old.

Two years later in 2005 Clinton adopted another chocolate Lab, naming him Seamus. Let’s hope he took better care of this dog than the last one!

Library of Cats will post the review on our “S” day when we talk about Socks!!!

Bears, Bulldog, Border Collie, Beagles, Briards, & Birds

B is for Bears, Bulldog, Border Collie, Beagles, Briards, and Birds

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969), and Jimmy Carter (1977-1981).

 

Bears

President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark off on their mission to explore the frontier in 1804. They, in turn, sent him back 2 grizzly bear cubs – and he promptly decided they should go to the Peale Museum (in 1807). I guess while their cage was being readied at the museum they waited for 2 months in a cage on the WH lawn on display for everyone to see. They eventually went to the Peale, and grew and grew and decided they needed to be wild once more. The one of the bears escaped and was later shot dead in the kitchen. Sadly, both were eventually mounted and put in the museum.

President Theodore Roosevelt (we will see him repeatedly throughout the month!) was given a small black bear that he named Jonathon Edwards. The bear went to live at the Washington Zoo because he had a bad temperament and liked to bite and claw. (Let’s take you out of your natural environment to a completely alien place and see how you react!) (These are vintage representations)

Bulldog

First Lady Grace Coolidge (we’ll see the Coolidge’s a lot this month as well!) had a bulldog named Boston Beans or a Boston Bulldog named Beans – depending on the source you choose. Some sources say (Boston) Beans was a pet, but other sources say he was just passing through on his way to Northampton. (Representative photos!)

Boston Bulldog

Bulldog

 

Border Collie

President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, was given a border collie by a former teacher. He was named Grits, in honor of his southern roots, of course. There were some behavioral problems with Grits and he didn’t get along with Amy’s cat (we’ll talk about him later in the month) so it was decided that Grits should go back to the teacher who gave him to Amy. (Where was Caesar Milano?)

Beagles

President Lyndon B. Johnson was known for his beagles and he had plenty to go around. The most famous ones were Him and Her, a brother and sister duo that came to the WH with the Johnson’s. After their cover photo on Life magazine, their fame spread far and wide and the dogs began receiving fan mail. Some of it was hate mail toward the President because the Life article showed LBJ picking Him up by the ears and that really roused the dog lovers of America. LBJ had to issue an apology saying basically he was just having fun with the dog and thought he (the dog) enjoyed it. (Shall we pull you up by the ears and see how you like it?) Anyway, Him and Her died young (Him, run over by a car while chasing a squirrel and Her by swallowing a pebble) and eventually two new beagles moved in to the WH. J. Edgar Hoover gifted LBJ with a beagle which was named J. Edgar, or Edgar. There was also Freckles and Kim who was the offspring of Him who originally belonged to Luci Johnson. When Luci married and left the WH she left Freckles behind but took Kim.

This is my favorite photo because it shows dogs being dogs!

Freckles

Briards

President Thomas Jefferson originally was said to have disliked dogs because they would attack his sheep. But in time he grew to like a particular breed, Briards. Being a farmer for most of his life, Mr. Jefferson probably saw the value in having an intelligent herding dog on the farm. Of all the Briards owned by our 3^rd President, there is only one whose name has come down in history – Buzzy. There isn’t much known about him but he must have been a favorite since he is the only one who is remembered. (Representative photo)

Birds

Birds were a favorite pet at the WH throughout the years. Most of the birds will be  written about specifically, but I wanted to give a shout out to President Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) who had a pet bird of unknown type and President Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) who had a pair of “Japanese birds.” I didn’t know what was meant by Japanese birds so I chose a representative picture of a vintage postcard that looks sort of Japanese.

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Caturday Art!!!  with Simon & BobbieSue!

Caturday Art with Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty! Click on the badge for more Caturday Art fun and to join – you don’t have to be a cat to participate!!