In honor of Presidents’ Day I would like to pay tribute to George Washington’s dogs.  As well as Gerald Ford’s dog who was the first Golden Retriever to live in the White House.  It is estimated that during his lifetime President George Washington had approximately 50 dogs, representing almost every group of dog recognized by the American Kennel Club.  He owned Dalmatians, Greyhounds, Newfoundlands, Briards, various Spaniels, countless Terriers, and even many Toy breeds.  However, Washington is most famous for breeding today’s American Foxhound.

It is clear from his letters and journals that President George Washington was a loving and doting dog owner with a sense of humor, who took great delight in naming them.  There were Sweet Lips, Drunkard, Madame Moose, Tipsy, Truelove, Lady Rover and Ragman, just to name a few.  It is also obvious from his diaries that the founding father of our country may not have wielded the same authority over his dogs as he did with Congress.  One tale that has been handed down is about a hound named Vulcan who could not resist a ham being prepared for dinner.  As the story goes, Vulcan snuck into the kitchen at Mount Vernon and ran off with the ham as the servants chased him.  That evening when the butler had to explain to Martha Washington why the ham she chose was not being served, George laughed.

Although George Washington did not own Golden Retrievers, this article would be remiss if I didn’t also pay tribute to the first Golden Retriever to live in the White House.  Namely President Gerald Ford’s beloved Golden Retriever, Liberty.  However, Liberty almost didn’t call the White House home due to her vigilant breeder.  Having recently lost their Golden before moving to the White House, Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, wanted to surprise her parents with a puppy, and enlisted the help of family friend, David Hume Kennerly.  When being interviewed by the breeder, Kennerly was reluctant to reveal that the dog was for the President.  So he answered the questions in a vague manner that were less than satisfactory to the protective breeder.  He said they were a middle-age couple who lived in a big white house with a fence around it.  After being bombarded with more questions and suspecting that the breeder was not going to let them have the puppy, Kennerly eventually revealed to the surprised breeder that the puppy was for President Gerald Ford.  Liberty went on to steal the hearts of an entire nation.  But of course she did.  After all she was a Golden Retriever!  If you’d like to learn more about Presidential Dogs, please visit the Presidential Pet Museum.

Our Patriotic Golden, Lemmy.