Enter Here: "Name the First Dog" Contest Announced by WH
Bill Nalty
A New Addition to the White House: a Chocolate Labrador
Young Chocolate Lab in D.C. Needs Your Help
Name the First Dog!
ABCNEWS.com
President Clinton has a new chocolate labrador puppy named …
That’s just the problem. This young dog needs a name. Join thousands of
ABCNEWS.com users around the world in contributing possible names for
the new first dog. Check back with us and with Good Morning America to
see the most popular suggestions.
http://www.abcnews.com/sections/us/maildog/
My Name
Email Address
Dog's Name
Thanks for your response!
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Question Dogs President
Click here to cast your vote.
http://www.abcnews.com/sections/us/maildog/
Results will be announced Thursday on Good Morning America.
Washingtonian magazine voted Millie the “Ugliest Dog” in Washington. The
editors later apologized to President Bush.
<Picture: President Clinton and new first Dog>President Clinton and the
new first dog, a 3-month-old male chocolate Labrador pup. Socks, the
first cat, is reportedly taking plans for this new addition to the
household "quite well." (Reuters)
By Andrew Morse
ABCNEWS.com
W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 10, — President Clinton needs you—to name his
dog.
Actually, he hasn’t asked for help, but according to White House
spokesman Mike McCurry, he’s going to get it anyway.
“The dog still is ‘un-named dog,’—‘un-named first dog,’” McCurry
said. “So now, everyone and their mother wants to have a dog-naming
contest.”
(Including ABCNEWS.com, where thousands of readers have offered
suggestions. You can vote here; the most popular will be posted later.)
The 3-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever, joins first cat Socks
as a reinforcement to help Clinton weather the dog days of his remaining
three years in office. He was unveiled Monday, when McCurry explained
that the president wanted “to have one loyal friend in Washington.”
Friends Forever
Presidents have found solace in pets throughout history, from George
Washington’s imported Spanish jackass to John Quincy Adams’ alligator
(lent by the Marquis de Lafayette during the Frenchman’s visit) to Teddy
Roosevelt’s small zoo.
Most seem to have followed the advice of Harry S. Truman, who, as
legend has it, once quipped, “If you want a friend in Washington, buy a
dog.” Actually, the Truman Library says the story is bunk, and Truman,
who was given two dogs during his tenure, gave them both away.
Presumably, Truman didn’t need any friends.
Andrew Johnson, thrust into the Oval Office when Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated, opted for rodents. Upon finding a group of white mice
playing on the floor of his room, Johnson left them a handful of flour.
“The little fellows gave me their confidence,” he confided to an aide.
“I gave them their basket and poured some water into a bowl on the
hearth for them.”
The Kennedys brought along two hamsters, Bluebell and Marybelle,
belonging to Caroline and John, Jr. They also got three dogs as gifts
while in office. When asked what she would feed Clipper, a gift from her
father-in-law, Jackie answered “reporters.” Pushinka, given by Nikita
Khruschchev, was a puppy of Strelka, the first Soviet dog in space, and
Secret Service agents supposedly examined it for wiretaps. The family
also received Shannon, an Irish cocker spaniel, from the Irish prime
minister. The family also had several horses, birds, and two deer, which
were given to Caroline after she viewed the Walt Disney movie, Bambi.
The First Nest
Historians might describe the term of William McKinley as particularly
fowl. He kept a bird named The Washington Post, described by a newspaper
as “a Mexican, double-yellow-headed parrot,” to greet White House
guests.
“The parrot could complete almost any ordinary song I’d hum, sing,
or whistle,” McKinley said. “If I began a few bars of ‘Yankee Doodle’ or
‘America,’ and then stopped, the parrot would finish the song.”
Some White House pets have become national celebrities. Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s beloved Scottish terrier, Fala, accompanied him nearly
everywhere he went and is now depicted in bronze at the FDR Memorial in
Washington. During the 1944 reelection campaign, Fala became the topic
of a minor scandal when reporters alleged that a Navy destroyer was
dispatched to retrieve Fala from the Aleutian Islands after he was
accidentally left behind during a presidential trip.
“These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me,
my wife, or on my sons,” said Roosevelt, trying spin-control. “No, not
content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Well of course
I don’t resent such attacks, and my family doesn’t resent attacks, but
Fala does.”
The Puppy Defense
Spin-control is also what Checkers is most famous for. Richard Nixon
used the dog to deflect accusations that he had received improper
campaign gifts during his vice presidential campaign in 1952.
“Some one in Texas had sent us a little black-and-white cocker
spaniel puppy. My daughter had named it Checkers … and I said that
regardless of what anyone said about it, I was going to keep it,” Nixon
said. The “Checkers Speech,” allowed him to weather a storm of
controversy. Unfortunately for Nixon, the dog died before he became
president.
But pets can also become a liability, as Lyndon Johnson learned
after photographers caught him playfully tugging on Little Beagle
Johnson’s ears. Dog owners complained, but Johnson had a characteristic
answer: “to make them bark is good for them.”
Millie Bush had an easier life, spending years in the
vice-presidential mansion before reaching the White House. Millie’sBook,
which Barbara Bush admitted to co-authoring, was a best-seller in 1990,
and when she had puppies, Millie was pictured on the cover of Life
magazine. But not all reviews were favorable. Washingtonian magazine
voted Millie the “Ugliest Dog” in Washington. The editors later
apologized to the president.
Still, Theodore Roosevelt takes the prize for most presidential
pets: he practically opened a petting zoo on Pennsylvania Avenue for his
six children. The pets included a blue Brazilian macaw named Eli Yale
(Roosevelt was a Harvard man), a bear cub, a pony, a horned toad, a
garter snake and six guinea pigs. Thrown in for good measure were a few
pigs, some rats, and a great many cats and dogs, including Peter, a bull
terrier who distinguished himself by biting through the trousers of a
French ambassador.
**************************************************************
Wednesday December 10 2:35 PM EST
Clinton Seeks Name for New White House Dog
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - How about "Chief," "Subpoena," or "Sax?"
Those are among a flood of names suggested by Americans for
PresidentClinton's puppy -- a so-far unnamed chocolate Labrador
retriever who will take up residence in the White House once he has been
house-trained.
An offhand invitation from White House spokesman Mike McCurry and
several news media Internet sites offering "Name that Dog" features have
sparked an outpouring of creativity by people who want a hand in naming
the First Pet.
The White House announced last Saturday that Clinton planned to bring
the three-month-old puppy to the White House to join resident cat,
Socks.
A photograph was released Tuesday of the soulful looking puppy snuggling
up to the sweater-clad president on a bench.
USA Today, CNN and ABC, spotting an opportunity to fuel interactivity on
their Internet sites, have all set up areas seeking advice on what to
name the dog. The Washington Post said Wednesday it was soliciting
suggestions.
Calls also have been going directly to the White House, spokesman Barry
Toiv said. "The president welcomes suggestions from the public,
particularly kids," Toiv said.
ABC spokeswoman Sonya McNair said the television network had received
more than 1,200 suggestions in four hours after setting up a
name-the-puppy page on its "ABCNEWS.com" Internet site Wednesday
morning.
"They're just pouring in," McNair said. "By the end of the day we're
sure we'll be into the tens of thousands."
She said highlights of the submissions would appear on the"Good Morning
America" program Thursday.
The most popular suggestion so far is "Hershey" after the chocolate
manufacturer, with other names playing on the dog's color, including
"Cocoa" and "Godiva" (another chocolate maker), McNair said.
Many suggestions fell into themes such as the presidency, Clinton's
personality, politics and Socks the White House cat. Cynics and
political critics have had a field day. "Dodger" (as in draft), "Donor"
(as in campaign), "Scandal" and "Whitewater" came from that group.
Attorney General Janet Reno, who spared Clinton last week from an
independent counsel's probe into 1996 campaign fundraising, was an
inspiration for many critics who viewed her as Clinton's "lap dog" in
the affair.
Other suggestions had multiple meanings. "Sax" was offered by a USA
Today Internet respondent who said "it kind of goes with Socks and the
president does play the saxophone."
"Briefs" was suggested to USA Today for the clothing link to Socks as
well as Clinton's legal troubles. "Boxer," "Shoes" and "Sneakers" were
also given as companions to Socks.
Toiv said the final choice of a name rested with Clinton. "This is one
of those lonely presidential decisions," he said.
Copyright © 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
********************************************************
Name That Dog
Dogs of Presidents, Kings, Queens, Governors, and Celebrities
<Picture: President John F. Kennedy>
Animal Press would like to introduce to you an elegant hardback coffee
table book, "Name That Dog," by Lynne Hamer, which showcases celebrities
such as Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Susan Butcher and Jamie
Wyeth with their beloved canine friends. Also featured are valuable
photos of the U.S. presidents (black & white & color) with their beloved
political dogs dating back to 1877 with Rutherford B. Hayes and springer
spaniel, Dot; Calvin Coolidge with cool dogs Rob Roy and Tiny Tim; LBJ
with White House beagles Him & Her; FDR with travel companion, Fala;
Dwight D. Eisenhower with family dog, Flip; Gerald Ford with photogenic
retriever Liberty; Amy Carter with southern dog, Grits; luminary dog
lover, First Lady Barbara Bush, with springer spaniel, Millie, and many
more...
President Bill Clinton is also pictured with his late cocker spaniel
Zeke, who left the then governor broken hearted after being run over by
a car.
This book also highlights royal dogs, dog names, poetry, canine lore and
much more ...
|| Dog Notecards ||
<Picture: [counter]>
Above photo: President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, John Jr.,
and Caroline with dogs, from left to right, Shannon, Pushinka's puppies,
Wolf (bottom), Clipper (top right) & Charlie (bottom right). Photo taken
by Cecil Stoughton, U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer.
August 4, 1963
Hyannis Port, Mass.
Bill Kasper
The Alphabits, while floating in Bill Nalty <CBa...@worldnet.att.net> 's
breakfast bowl, spelled:
=A New Addition to the White House: a Chocolate Labrador
<snip>
Is it chocolate, or gray?
There is some disagreement from witnesses...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Kasper, Purveyor of Fine Opinions on Various Topics.
Author, Consultant, Cowboy.
Treasonous government officials should have their
bronzed, severed heads displayed on poles in D.C.
as a promise of justice to all future generations.
misc.activism.militia - Piping hot statists served fresh daily!