Among all of
the hype about our national election in November, I have
not seen anything about whether or not our leading
candidates for president own pets. It seems to me that
most of our past presidents have owned pets. I always
enjoy seeing Barney meet President Bush as he gets off of
the helicopter at the White House. I hope that our new
president is an animal lover. I think that owning and
loving animals says a great deal about a person's
character.A: You are
correct in that most of our past presidents have owned
pets. Although it has not been documented as to the time
and place of the quote, it is said that President Harry S.
Truman said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a
dog." Sometimes it seems like our pets are our only true
friends, even for presidents!
There is strong evidence that presidential pets have
affected the history of the United States. Although many
examples could be given, two of the most well-known
involve Fala, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottie,
and Checkers, then-Sen. Richard Nixon's dog.
A speech given in 1944 when Roosevelt was running for
his fourth term was named the "Fala Speech." Apparently
this speech turned the race around and Roosevelt did win
the election. Similarly, a speech given in 1952 by Nixon
while he was the vice-presidential candidate with Dwight
D. Eisenhower was later called the "Checkers Speech." This
speech saved Nixon's place on the Republican ticket.
President Lyndon B. Johnson received a lot of negative
press in 1964 when he picked his beagles, Him and Her, up
by the ears to be photographed while talking to a group of
bankers. President Johnson soon realized his mistake
because of the outcry of animal lovers all across the
United States. Many other examples of when pets affected
the U.S. presidency could be given.
Hillary Clinton owns a chocolate lab named Seamus and
Barack Obama has no pets. John McCain owns three turtles,
three parakeets, a ferret, two dogs, a cat and some
saltwater fish.
Based on past election history, it would be well for
the three front-runners to run campaign advertisements
containing animals. Most U.S. voters are love animals.
Q: Is it still important
to vaccinate dogs against the disease called "leptospirosis"?
We have never heard of a dog getting this disease, and yet
our veterinarian still recommends the vaccination.
A: While leptospirosis is
not currently diagnosed in dogs in the United States very
often, it can cause very severe illness, particularly in
puppies. Because leptospirosis vaccine is relatively
inexpensive and very safe, it is recommended by most
veterinarians. Vaccinating dogs against leptospirosis is
relatively inexpensive insurance against a very serious
disease. You should follow your veterinarian's
recommendations. He or she knows the disease risks for
your pets in your geographical area.
Send e-mail to
copleysd@copleynews.com or write to Pets, Copley News
Service, P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112-0190. Only
questions of general interest will be answered in this
column.
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