As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, I’d like to pause to acknowledge the patriotic dogs that helped shape our country. After all, as every dog knows, next to every great human is an even more awesome pup! Or at least that is my theory concerning the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Take for example the dogs of John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
John Adams and his wife Abigail owned many dogs over the years. However, it was their mix-breed dogs Satan and Juno, who eventually called the White House home. It is unclear if Satan lived up to his name. However, it is sweet that Juno was named for the Roman goddess, who was the protector and special counselor of the state. I wonder if Juno felt it was her personal job to protect Adams during his presidency? We do know she held a dear place in Abigail’s heart, who wrote in an 1811 letter to her granddaughter, Caroline Smith De Windt, “As if you love me, proverbially, you must love my dog, you will be glad to learn that Juno yet lives, although like her mistress she is gray with age. She appears to enjoy life and to be grateful for the attention paid her. She wags her tail and announces a visiter whenever one appears.”
Benjamin Franklin, on the other paw, was not overtly fond of dogs. In fact, the saying “He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas” is attributed to Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack. However, his son’s Newfoundland did eventually win over his heart. According to contemporary reports, while living as a diplomat in France, Benjamin Franklin could be seen regularly walking the dog and spoiling him with treats as any good dog grandad would do. In a letter written in 1778, a visitor to their home in Paris wrote, “nothing shall tempt me to forget your Newfoundland Dog.” So apparently this pup won over a lot of hearts during the family’s time in France.
Another signer of the Declaration of Independence that had a change in heart about dogs was Thomas Jefferson. Based on this letter from 1811, where he wrote that dogs were “most afflicting of all the follies for which men tax themselves,” it is clear that he wasn’t their biggest fan. However, when leaving his position as American Minister to France in 1789, he brought sheepdogs back to America with him. Well one of those dogs was a Briard that he named Bergère, who eventually changed Jefferson’s opinion. By the time his presidency was over Jefferson found himself to be quite the dog enthusiast, especially of the Briard. In fact he admitted in an 1813 letter, “Their extraordinary sagacity renders them extremely valuable, capable of being taught almost any duty that may be required of them, and the most anxious in the performance of that duty, the most watchful and faithful of all servants.” Jefferson may be considered the brilliant author of the Declaration of Independence, but he still had a lot to learn about dogs. Thank you Bergère for teaching him the error of his ways!
Although the exact role these dogs had in shaping the early history of our country will never be known, I’m sure their humans appreciated their support during those uncertain times in the early years of the country. If you’d like to learn more about the other dogs who stood by the founders of our country, please read my post Dogs of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. You can also learn more about dogs who called the White House home at the Presidential Pet Museum, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress.
As you can see Thomas, John, and Ben were big fans of me! They sure were excited to meet me back in 2019 when they read the Declaration of Independence on the city hall steps.
Alright, I admit I may have shared a few thoughts with Thomas on his much earlier “follies” comment!
