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, behind every great human is an even more awesome pup. From being the constant companions of patriots during the early days of our country, to even winning the heart of a skeptical Founding Father, dogs played an important role in the early days of America. Yet dogs who behave rarely make it into the pages of history, and are lost to time. Such is the case for many of the Founding Fathers’ dogs. However, those with a more exuberant personality, at least can be found in a document or two.
Such is the case of the Newfoundland owned by Benjamin Franklin’s son, William. That presumably mischievous pup was mentioned in two letters during Franklin’s time as a diplomat in France. In one letter written in 1778, a visitor to their home in Paris wrote, “nothing shall tempt me to forget your Newfoundland Dog.” Well behaved dogs rarely make history, so I feel it is safe to assume that Newfie set out to make his presence known that day. In a later 1781 letter also written in Paris, a neighbor mentions returning the dog home after it strayed.
Speaking of strayed, George Washington never forgave John Quincy Adams, for his misplaced pups. Being a well known dog lover, the Marquis de Lafayette sent Washington seven French hounds as a gift during the Revolutionary War. These dogs were sent under the supervision of young John Quincy Adams. Unfortunately, John Quincy Adams lost track of the dogs at the dock in New York City! Thankfully, they were later found and delivered safely to George Washington, who continued to hold a grudge against him for losing his dogs. It isn’t clear how Lafayette felt about this particular incident, but we do know years later he re-gifted an alligator to John Quincy Adams, which Adams temporarily kept in the White House bathtub!
John Quincy Adams may have lost George Washington’s dogs, but his parents’ dogs did arrive safely at the White House, and were the first canine residents of those hallowed halls. John Adams had a mixed-breed dog named Satan, while his wife Abigail’s pet was Satan’s pup, Juno. 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 once wrote to her granddaughter, Caroline Smith, “If you love me…you must love my dog.”
Speaking of dog lover, Thomas Jefferson initially wasn’t one of them. In fact he once wrote that dogs were “most afflicting of all the follies for which men tax themselves!” However, before leaving his position as American Minister to France in 1789, he was determined to bring sheepdogs back to America with him. What caused the sudden interest in dogs? According to a Monticello historian,“The shepherd’s dog was on Jefferson’s list of Old World animal species worthy of ‘colonizing’ to the United States, along with the skylark, nightingale, and red-legged partridge, the hare and Angora rabbit, and the Angora goat.” So with that goal in mind he purchased a pregnant sheepdog, that gave birth to two puppies on that voyage home.
Well that dog, who was a Briard that he named Bergère, eventually impressed Jefferson. This in turn inspired him to request more dogs from the Marquis de Lafayette. By the time his presidency was over Jefferson found himself to be quite the dog enthusiast, especially of the Briard. In fact he admitted, “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!
If you’d like to learn more about the Founding Dogs of our country, please visit the Presidential Pet Museum, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress.
