First Dogs' exhibit at Newseum a success

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Newseum’s latest exhibit featuring the history of our country’s “First Dogs” has been a big hit with visitors.

Although the Newseum hosts 250,000 square feet of interactive experiences, the recently opened small hallway display is attracting large crowds. The Newseum is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.

According to the Newseum’s media relations assistant Jonathan Thompson, the staff did not expect the relatively small exhibit to garner such major attention.

"First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Pets," opened Nov. 14, and showcases some of the dogs that resided at the White House.

President-elect Barack Obama made it known that he promised his two young daughters a puppy. And since he confirmed that promise in his victory speech on Nov. 4, attention on Presidential Pups has greatly intensified.

President George W. Bush’s current “First Dog” Scottish Terrier Barney also recently focused attention on White House dogs after nipping a Reuters' reporter.

But Barney’s real claim to fame is as an Internet sensation with his “Barney Cam” videos. The pup has padded around the White House with a camera attached to his back giving the world a dog’s eye view of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

However, the exhibit prominently features another Scottish Terrier that captured the hearts of the American people nearly 70 years before Barney arrived in Washington.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fala was a constant companion of both the president and his wife Eleanor. The pup’s tricks garnered massive attention and his antics made him a media sensation.

Fala, or Murray the Outlaw of Falahill, outlived Roosevelt by seven years and is buried next to him at Hyde Park, N.Y. A statue of the pup is prominently featured alongside a statue of Roosevelt at his memorial. He is the only Presidential Pup to receive such an honor.

But Terriers are only a few of many dogs that have achieved notoriety during their stay in the White House.

The first “First Dog” hailed from Virginia. And like the first President George Washington, the American Foxhound was also a first, having been bred by crossing French Hounds and English Black and Tan Hounds at his estate at Mt. Vernon.

Among the 22 Presidents and pets featured are Lyndon B. Johnson’s Beagles Him and Her as well as mixed breed Yuki, rescued by his daughter Luci from a gas station in Texas; Bill Clinton’s Labrador Retriever Buddy; George H.W. Bush’s English Springer Spaniel Millie — the dog’s book sold more copies than the President’s; John F. Kennedy’s mixed breed Pushinka, a gift from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev; Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Weimaraner Heidi; Herbert Hoover’s police dog King Tut and Norwegian Elkhound Weegie; and Calvin Coolidge’s White Collie Prudence Prim, shown sporting an Easter bonnet.

Also featured is Warren G. Harding’s Airedale Laddie Boy. When the former newspaper man died in office, newsboys across the country collected pennies to make a statue of his beloved pet.

Other dogs featured are Grover Cleveland’s favorite but mischievous Bull Terrier Jack which he left behind in New York; Abraham Lincoln’s mixed breed Fido, the first dog ever to be photographed, before the President left him behind in Illinois; and Ullyses S. Grant’s son Jesse’s two dogs that died in the White House and the Newfoundland named Faithful that survived, after “Grant warned the staff if the pet died, they’d all be fired.”

The exhibit includes a video that provides historic data and reveals how several of the Presidential Pups are believed to be responsible for the re-election of their caretakers.

The very last display board offers visitors a chance to vote for a Poodle, a Wheaton Terrier, a Bichon Frise, a Chinese Crested, a Miniature Schnauzer, or a Shelter Dog for the next “First Dog.” Votes are calculated by total donations deposited in a tube under the image of each dog. Thompson said, “The shelter dog is currently leading in the Newseum’s election.”

Obama has stated, “Our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me.”

Although the majority may be mixed, according to Humane Society of the United States statistics, almost 25 percent of all dogs surrendered to shelters are purebred. And even more are available for adoption through breed specific rescue groups, so the next “First Dog” could still meet the requirement of a hypoallergenic dog for Malia Obama while fulfilling the Obama’s desire to rescue a dog.

But regardless of whether they adopt or purchase, information on selecting a dog or finding a reputable breeder is available from the American Dog Owners Association at www.adoa.org and the American Humane Association at www.AmericanHumane.org as well as other national animal organizations.

The exhibit will remain on display through March 2009. Details can be found at newseum.org.

Marty van Duyne is a contributing writer at the Stafford County Sun. Reach her at info@staffordcountysun.com.