Fraternity-Testvériség, 1964 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1964-12-01 / 12. szám
FRATERNITY 9 Back in ’60, it was anybody’s guess whether Checkers or Charlie would succeed Ike’s beautiful sad-eyed Weimaranger, Heidy. Nixon’s Cocker Spaniel was nosed out, however, and Heidy turned over her number-one spot to Charlie, the Kennedy family’s Welsh Terrier. Charlie went everywhere with the Kennedys and he was especially loved by Caroline, President Kennedy’s effervescent little daughter. Other world leaders even got into the act. Premier Khruschev, in one of his more diplomatic moves, sent Caroline Kennedy a fluffy white puppy named Pushinka. Not only did the Kennedys have two dogs —• the rest of the menagerie included two hamsters named Debbie and Billie, 100 goldfish, 13 ducks and one yellow canary called Robin — or was it a red robin called Canary? One of the highlights in the Purina research was the most publicized dog in the world, F. D. R.’s little Fala, whose full name was Murray the Outlaw of Fala Hill. The Scottish Terrier made front-page news for many years and was rarely separated from his beloved master. It didn’t take long for Fala to get into the swing of politics. He loved to crash parties — some of them being inaugurations. The frisky Scottie knocked White House guards off their guard a few times when he took off on some mission of his own choosing. F. D. R.’s cousin, Teddy, was another pet-lover President. In addition to a pack of dogs, he had his own little zoo — from kangaroos to lizards — around him almost constantly. His favorite dog was one called Skip. Another Purina resarch fact was on honest Abe Lincoln, who loved dogs so well that he risked his life to save one marooned by a raging flood. One other time he found an injured dog in the woods and nursed it back to health. When Lincoln left for Washington, after being elected President, the family dog, Fido, had to stay behind in Illinois because it was too far for the pooch to travel. Before he left, though, Lincoln had a portrait made of Fido to take with him. He left instructions for Fido’s new master never to leave the dog tied up in the backyard by himself, never to scold him for wet, muddy or dusty paws, and to let him in the dining room during meals as he was accustomed to samplings from everyone. Paul Manship’s statute, the Hoosier Youth, portrays Lincoln with a dog by his side, symbolic of his love for the animal. An Old English Sheepdog named Rob Roy and a Collie named Prudence Prim were two famous White House dogs. Calvin Coolidge was their master. Rob Roy and Prudence Prim were known as a couple of off-beat characters in dog society along the Potomac. Rob Roy had a passion for coffee and occasionally at lunch or dinner the President would fill a saucer with coffee for his dog. It was a tense moment for new guests as they considered following suit — until the President passed the saucer to Rob. Prudence Prim was as much a lady as her name implies. She was so well mannered that the President and First Lady often let her attend garden parties where she graciously mingled with the guests.
