Trump has no use for dogs of the canine variety, except to hurl insults at their human counterparts on a sustained and regular basis, in a variety of disapproving ways.
Americans are Heavy Duty Pet Lovers
National surveys and reports year after year document the American love affair with their pets. As you would expect American share their animal love with a wide variety of critters, indoors and out. By the tens of millions.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) “2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook“, 36.5% of Americans households kept dogs, and 30.4% had cats as companion pets, followed in a distant third and fourth place by birds and horses. Dogs were pets in 43 million households, and cats in 36 million.
Source:AMVA “2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook”
In a December, 2006 Gallup Polling Organization Survey of 1,000 adults found that 44% of Americans own dogs (27% without other kinds of pets), and 29% had a cat (12% cats only). Overall 60% of Americans had one sort of pet or another.
The AMVA 2012 report details the frequency of caring for specialty and exotic pet animals in America: in decreasing order fish, rabbits, turtles, poultry, hamsters, guinea pigs, lizards, livestock, and snakes (all with more than 500 thousand pet owners). See chart below.
Source:AMVA “2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook”
One more suite of recent American pet ownership statistics. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) National Pet Owners Survey 2015 estimates the breakdown of U.S. pet ownership as follows:
Number of U.S. Households that Own a Pet (millions):
- Bird 6.1
- Cat 42.9
- Dog 54.4
- Horse 2.5
- Freshwater Fish 12.3
- Saltwater Fish 1.3
- Reptile 4.9
- Small Animal 5.4
According to APPA, in 2015, $60.28 billion was spent on our pets in the U.S. in five main categories:
- Food $23.05 billion
- Supplies/OTC Medicine $14.28 billion
- Vet Care $15.42 billion
- Live animal purchases $2.12 billion
- Pet Services: grooming & boarding $5.41 billion
The average annual maintenance cost per pet in 2015 was:
- Dogs Cats
- Surgical Vet Visits $551 $398
- Routine Vet $235 $196
- Food $269 $246
- Food Treats $61 $51
- Kennel Boarding $333 $130
- Vitamins $62 $33
- Groomer/Grooming Aids $83 $43
- Toys $47 $28
Here is a summary of eight key points of the 2006 Gallup Poll on Americans and Their Pets:
- Pet ownership among the American public breaks down this way: 27% own a dog but not a cat, 12% own a cat but not a dog, 17% own both, 3% own pets other than cats or dogs, and 40% do not own any pets.
- Aside from dogs and cats, 10% of Americans own a fish and much smaller percentages own birds (5%), reptiles, snakes, or lizards (2%), hamsters and guinea pigs (2%), horses (2%), and rabbits (1%).
- Dogs tend to live with their owners without other canine companions; cats are a bit more likely to share their owner’s home with fellow felines. Most dog owners, 59%, have just one dog, while cat owners are as likely to have multiple cats (51%) as they are to have just one (49%).
- By a 70% to 20% margin, Americans describe themselves as “dog persons” rather than “cat persons.” This includes a 68% to 19% margin among people who own both a cat and dog, and a 68% to 18% preference among those who own neither. Only pet owners with a cat and no dogs routinely call themselves “cat people” (69% to 26%).
- Sixty-eight percent of American pet owners have given toys or presents to their pets on Christmas. When Gallup asked that question in 1990, the figure was similar (65%). Rover is especially likely to be rewarded during the holidays: 76% of dog owners say they have given toys or presents to their pets on Christmas, compared with 46% of pet owners who do not have a dog. While 67% of cat owners also say they have given Christmas presents to their pets, this drops to just 54% of cat owners who do not also have a dog.
- Americans believe pets are good for their owners. Sixty percent of Americans think pet owners lead more satisfying lives than non-pet owners, while only 3% say pet owners lead less satisfying lives; one-third of Americans say it makes no difference or have no opinion.
- Pets are not as common a companion for single people; people who are married are much more likely to own cats and dogs than those who are not.
- People with young children are more likely than people without young children to own both dogs and cats.
From a Business Insider report in July, 2014 using data from the 2012 AMVA report (50,000 households), here is a state by state map of the U.S. showing the relative preponderance of dog versus cat ownership. Deep orange is for dog lovers. Only in the upper pacific west and eastern seaboard from Pennsylvania north to Maine (except for dog loving Rhode Island) do cat owners predominate.
American Sweep: Dog Owners Predominate versus Cat Owners by State
Here is a second state by state map of the U.S. showing the percentage of dog ownership in each state. The heaviest concentration of dog lovers occurs in a wide band across the southern half of our country, and in the upper mountain west. What should be preferentially Trump country.
American Dog Ownership Rates State by State: Dixie and the Deep South Are Winners
To sum up, Americans are self-identified “Dog Persons”. Americans cherish 70 million canine companion pets in 54 million households. They spend $55 billion each year (as of 2015) providing food, shelter, and veterinary care for all their pets, not counting $5 billion for grooming and boarding services, and $2 billion more to purchase their animal pets.
Dogs are good for their owners, a balm to the soul. They calm and relax their humans, they are guardians, protectors, and watch dogs for family and children, they relieve daily stress in their owners, reduce blood pressure, provide companionship and unquestioned love for the sick and shut in, they function as service dogs for the handicapped, disabled and spiritually challenged, they provide salutary walking exercise, and keep their aged owners sharp in their mental faculties.
There are some Americans, of course, who are highly allergic or have medical conditions and physical limitations that make it inadvisable or impossible to care for a pet. There is also an unfortunate number of people who have been the victim of an attack or dog bite, usually from poor management or pet cruelty, which sadly exists, who will rightly not have anything to do with dogs. The number of folks in this category is fairly modest. There are even some who just don’t like dogs, though not very many.
Those folks miss out on a great comfort most Americans enjoy every day.
You don’t want to get cross-wise between Americans and the pets they love and care for, the prime example of which is our pet canines.
What Has All This got to Do With The 2016 Presidential Election?
Dog ownership has a political dimension, not so surprisingly. It turns out our Presidents have the same feelings about dogs as pets that the rest of America does. No particular surprise. But the Presidential dog ownership is even more highly concentrated among Presidents than the general population, as we shall see later.
In a common rite of passage ritual every four years, near the beginning of the election season, various outlets and reporters assemble a pet biography comparison, especially for dogs, among all the announced candidates. The 2015-2016 campaign cycle was no exception. Here is one early example from August 2015.*
Clearly, there must be some connection between pets and winning the White House, because every single president in history has had some kind of pet (even Richard Nixon had Checkers, a cocker spaniel, before he became president). We’ve had presidential dogs, cats, birds, horses, ponies, goats, tiger cubs, alligators, bear cubs, a bobcat, a ram, snakes, a zebra, and many others. But the common denominator is most definitely a family dog.
So what does the full 2016 presidential field have to boast in terms of pets? Some pretty adorable dogs, cats, and even fish, as it turns out. Given that every president had a pet, some candidates might be in trouble if they don’t have any at all.
Among the Republican candidates, even the petless generally owned up in this simple test of candor at the start of the race. Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki all own dogs. Mike Huckabee used to have a dog until 2013, when he died; John Kasich, Rand Paul and Jim Gilmore all used to have dogs. Scott Walker is allergic to dogs. Bobby Jindal has fish; so does Chris Christie (because his children are allergic). And Lindsay Graham just doesn’t have any pets.
Donald Trump refused to respond to repeated requests in August 2015; by September 2016 his campaign now says he does not have any pets.
Every other Republican was transparent about pet ownership from the top. Trump ducked and jived for a year before disclosing a state secret and saying no.
But the Presidential Pet Dog Issue is more significant that this early survey.
There is a wonderful website called the American Presidential Pet Museum (1999) that is a blast to browse around, as well as a deeply informative source of stories and pictures about their subjects.**
A detailed catalogue of pets for all 44 Presidents from Washington to Obama is provided on their website. It turns out that every president for the last 114 years, elected or assuming the office, Republican or Democrat, bar none has had at least one pet dog in the White House. A number of our Presidents have had several dogs during their White House tenure. . Starting with Teddy Roosevelt in 1902, there is an unbroken tradition of Presidential dog ownership. That is 19 straight administrations, from number 26 to number 44.
Source: Adapted from American Presidential Pet Museum Website Database
Oh, that’s probably just a coincidence. Well, actually no, there is only a very, very tiny chance this pattern could happen by chance. A bet you wouldn’t want to make for any real money. This is a problem for the number science of probability statistics.
A President can either have a White House pet dog or not. If the outcome event of dog ownership occurs in a completely random manner, the likelihood of any given president having a dog in the White House is 50%. It is akin to the odds of tossing 19 straight heads (or 19 straight tails, for that matter) in a row, while using a completely fair, unbiased coin.
If my intermediate statistics knowledge hasn’t failed me badly, the answer is ½ x ½ x ½…. (multiplied 19 times). This works out on a Google exponent calculator to 1.907 x 10(E-6). Translated into regular numbers, the odds of the questioned result (19 consecutive heads in a fair coin toss), being due to chance alone, is just about 2 in 1 million.
It is pretty safe to say that the fact of Presidential dog ownership continuously for longer than the last 100 years is not random. There is something to it, from a political perspective.
Where Does Trump Fit In, Dog-Wise?
He is certainly Dogless. It might be too harsh to say he hates dogs on his own behalf, though that might be a defensible position to take considering his general behavior.
Trump is of course recognized by now as an accomplished insult tosser in person, on videotape, on the air, and over Twitter. One if his favorite categories of insult (in the top 20) is a rich variety of dog epithets, applied to both women and men. He goes well beyond the threadbare B – – – – h formulation,
His insult references have spawned entire media reports. Here are a selection of the dog related variants from Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and other sources. The list is by no means exhaustive.
- Ted Cruz lifts the Bible high into the air and then lies like a dog
- Wow was Ted Cruz disloyal to his very capable director of communication. He used him as a scape goat-fired like a dog!
- .One of the National Review lightweights, came to my office begging for money like a dog.
- Union Leader refuses to comment as to why they were kicked out of the ABC News debate like a dog.
- Glen Beck got fired like a dog by #Fox.
- Eric Erickson of Red State was fired like a dog
- Chuck Todd will be fired like a dog from ratings starved Meet The Press?
- Mitt Romney: “choked like a dog.”
- Gail Collins: Trump sent Collins a copy of one of her previous articles, in which she had taken a jab at his business record, with her photo circled and the words “face of a dog” written beside it.
- Ariana Huffington: Because she is a dog who wrongfully comments on me
- Marco Rubio: couldn’t be elected dog-catcher
- Mike Bloomberg: couldn’t be elected dog-catcher
- Governor Sununu: couldn’t be elected dog-catcher
- Hillary Clinton: couldn’t be elected dog-catcher
- Lowell P. Weicker: couldn’t be elected dog-catcher
So Trump is an equal opportunity hurler of dog related epithets.
Students of the rich foundation of our English language might note the poverty of his vocabulary and the insistent repetition, when Trump thinks he has discovered a real humdinger. I couldn’t find any instances where Trump has Tweeted a dog related compliment to anyone, but with thousands to look through, who can be sure?
It is curious that a man appealing for votes to a nation that loves its 70 million canine pets, would adopt such a constant derisive and hostile attitude. I guess it is just Trump being Trump. He doesn’t care about being P.C.
I don’t believe there are any reported references in Trump’s own (ghostwritten) books or his magazine profiles or interviews where he tells a humorous or heartwarming story about his faithful childhood companion Duke, or Rex, or Spot, or King. No stories of going for long walks, or exploring the woods, or playing fetch, or chasing rabbits in the country, or hunting for ducks or quail with his retriever, or setter, or terrier, or bluetick or Catahoula, or red and brown hound chasing down land critters.
No instances of curling up in front of a fire in wintertime with a companion, or playing at the lake, or having a favorite pet waiting at the front door wagging its tail when he returned home from school. No lessons on assuming responsibility by caring for your own pet shard with his children or grandchildren. What a boring colorless picture of a life’s leisure time, dogless and petless and unconnected to a core value for the majority of his fellow citizens.
2011 Best in Show Champion (Westminster Kennel Club, NYC) Scottish Hound
On the other hand, he is aware at some level that would be Presidents need some kind of doggie beard if only for the camera. There are millions of pictures of Trump flooding the internet. And there are some Trump with Dog photographs. I have scanned literally thousands of them with various Google search terms and found a curious thing. Trump has been photographed with several beautiful dogs.*
2013 Best in Show Champion (Westminster Kennel Club, NYC) Scottish Hound
Never one to overlook a commercial opportunity, Trump may not have any truck with dogs as pets for himself or his family, but he knows a money-maker when he bumps into one. Thus, we have a special doggie service for guests at his Las Vegas Trump International Hotel. See, from their website:
TRUMP® PETS
Don’t leave home without your four-legged friends. Our pet-friendly hotel in Las Vegas has a luxurious visit planned for furry jet-setters. The Trump® Pets program will fill your best Fido’s tummy with gourmet treats and see them off to sleep on a plush dog bed. Dog-walking services can even be arranged through the concierge or Trump Attaché™.
- More pet-friendly amenities and services:
- Irresistible gourmet treats
- Water bowl and fresh bottled water
- Toys promising hours of entertainment
*Pet guests at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas must weigh less than 25 pounds, and there is a non-refundable $200 pet cleaning fee.
I would point out that since Trump is intimately familiar with deadbeats who try and stiff a vendor for services honestly supplied. Trump announces, upfront and center, there is a non-refundable $200 pet cleaning fee. You know, in case a rip off artist tries to say the gourmet doggie treats are not irresistible enough, or the toys were boring, or the plush doggie bed is not up to their standards.
That way, there is always a profit margin, and you have a margin to negotiate any disputes from a position of strength. Wanna bet the bottled water is Trump Ice, that sparking pure liquid? Do you think the maids at the Las Vegas hotel have a different cleaning protocol for dog occupied rooms than the rest of the hotel, to sort of justify a $200 charge?
On further examination, none is his own pet. More distinctly though, virtually every example I could fund was a series of shots of Trump holding the Grand Champion Best in Show winner of the annual Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) competition held in New York at Madison Square Garden each February. I have found pictures of Trump holding the winners from 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015. There may be others. My mouse finger muscles just wore out.
2012 Best in Show Champion (Westminster Kennel Club, NYC) Pekingese Malachy Posing with Real Owner
The usual routine is for Trump to pose with the dog, the big ass ribbon, the dog’s real owner, and often in the background, a smiling daughter Ivanka for a group pose. Then there is the obligatory shot of Trump holding the dog by himself, everyone else excluded.
2012 Best in Show Champion (Westminster Kennel Club, NYC) Pekingese Malachy Posed by Trump
Not too surprisingly, when sloppy journalist compile Presidential candidate pet ownership lists, or when Trump supporters wish to humanize his to a skeptical unconvinced public, there is Trump smiling and holding a beautiful dog (ownership unspecified).
2015 Best in Show Champion (Westminster Kennel Club, NYC) Scottish Hound
What I can’t find are pictures of Trump with dogs in the wild, in natural habitat, or interacting with the pets of his most ardent supporters. I haven’t located any pictures, but a recent informal social article in the New Yorker (March 2016) quotes Trump’s family friend Karen LeFrak, wife of a billionaire New York real estate developer (the LeFrak New York real estate empire is larger than Trump’s). Ms. LeFrak is, in her own right a championship dog breeder, and multiple WKC Best in Show Winner for her World Class poodles. She said that Trump welcomed her dogs at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and adds that they were the only dogs (or pets) ever allowed by Trump on the premises.
Over lunch, spread out on a silver tray, conversation drifted to Palm Beach and poodles. For years, Gem and the late, lamented Mikimoto were the only pets allowed at Mar-a-Lago, Marjorie Merriweather Post’s compound, which Donald Trump bought and turned into a private club in 1985. “Donald loved my dogs,” LeFrak said. “I could probably find the picture of Donald with the two poodles. He’s bending down and holding them. Donald’s in the middle, with the red hat.”
She described family get-togethers at Mar-a-Lago where, after a day of tennis and golf, and a dinner that might feature meat loaf made from Trump’s mother’s recipe, the whole group liked to drive to a cineplex for a movie. “We would go and have popcorn and be like the regular folk,” she said.
When Trump talks about his friends, he tends to speak in superlatives, and even though he’s not a dog person, the poodles made the cut. “He complimented my dogs all the time,” LeFrak said. “He said they were wonderful, beautiful.” As Donald, Jr., told the Palm Beach Daily News, “My father always loves a champion.”
The telling point in this recitation is not the voyeuristic interest in the social and recreational habits of the super wealthy (interesting as those may be), but the notion that Trump will only tolerate pure-pedigree, Best of the Best World Champion dogs for photo ops at his office and a brief visit or drop by at his Florida mansion. No ordinary dogs can be around him, even regular AKC registered purebreds. They must all be crowned competitive champions. What a sterile rarified existence from which to view America’s favorite animal companion.
The breed of the champion dog used as the photo prop seems not to matter a whit. Trump has been shown with a Scottish Deerhound (2011), a Pekingese (2012), a Affenpinscher (2013), and a Beagle (2015). He is apparently breed indiscriminate, as long as they come dressed with a blue ribbon.
That seems consistent with his attitude to the value of fine art or sculpture, for example. No need to trouble about the fine points of painting school and style, a work is valuable because the current art market says so. Most dog owners focus on only one or two breeds, based on the characteristics of the breed’s personality, physical appearance, and behavioral traits.
If more of Trump’s supporters knew about this, their enthusiasm would lessen, and they might view him with a more jaundiced eye as an upscale poseur and fake populist.***
We have nearly all read by now that Trump is a germophobe and doesn’t like to shake hands if there is any way to avoid it. So it makes some sense that he might not enjoy the actual process of caring for a dog. Having to brush or groom him, make sure he takes his heartworm pill, gets his nails clipped, dealing with hair shedding in the house, and dealing with the occasional accidental mess a normal dog might make when it was over excited.
Surely however, Trump has the domestic staff on hand and sufficient financial resources to farm out all the unpleasant dog work stuff, and just revel in the good stuff, the wonderful affection and companion qualities of a loyal pet.
There have been repeated media and internet fake news reports that Trump has a beloved Golden Retriever, named Spinee, who has just had serious surgery (first in February 2016, then in June 2016, then in September 2016, and most recently in November 2016) and is recovering while Trump worries about him. Sorry, those stories are completely fake, linked to a counterfeit news site in China (MediaMass). Dozens of celebrities have previously been pranked with this line, including Sandra Bullock and other celebrities before last year , and Trump’s late entry as the owner of this long -suffering animal. There is a apparently a new crowd of soft-hearted folks ready to be deceived every few months by Spinee and his veterinary troubles.
The whole Trump-with-dog photo thing as his pet surrogate is a deception and disrespect to his believers. Why can’t he just take the group photo with the ribbon and proud owner, and bask in the good feeling as a celebrity booster and good will ambassador for the WKC annual competition? There must always be a Trump private advantage angle to be squeezed out of an appearance. The event should be about the champion dog (and the WKC as a secondary focus), not the hanger-on celebrity Trump.
His picture taking stunts are not lies, not exactly. But this is an example of an oft-repeated classic Trump tactic. He says or does something misleading, and other people, in a hurry or not being careful (like read the fine print, potential condo investors), draw implied but incorrect conclusions. Trump never points out the discrepancy. When asked to confirm, he clams up. So, in the strictest sense he hasn’t defrauded anyone, but he surely led them to the brink of deceit, and laughs at them later in private for their carelessness. Thus, was born “the first in his college class” nonsense. He says he did very well, she said he was top of the class. One reporter got it wrong, others picked it up and amplified it. Trump just smiles. And always the knowing smirk of condescension.
Trump doesn’t own, or breed, or raise, or train any dogs, championship or not. He is a dog-lover faker, in public.
Why Does Any of This Matter for the Election on November 8th?
Dog affairs can matter in political contests. You don’t think so? Remember just four years ago, the reaction when people found out about the family Irish Setter Seamus who rode 650 miles from Boston on the roof of Romney’s car, an incident from 30 years earlier. (1983).
During the 2012 U.S. Republican presidential primaries, candidate Newt Gingrich aired an anti-Romney attack ad that featured the story. While appearing on the ABC show This Week, Republican candidate Rick Santorum stated, “As far as Seamus the dog … the issues of character are important in this election. We need to look at all those issues and make a determination as to whether that’s the kind of person [Romney] you want to be president of the United States.”
A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey found that 74% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans consider it inhumane to put a family dog in a kennel on the roof of a car. The poll did not mention the windshield. The poll also found that 35% of voters would be less likely to vote for Romney because of the Seamus incident, whereas 55% of voters said that it would not affect how they vote. As of September 2012, New York Times columnist Gail Collins had mentioned the Romneys’ car trip more than 70 times.
35% of voters said they would rethink their vote after hearing about the incident. Republican opponents during the primary made political hay over it. A small thing, not done out of cruelty, but thoughtlessness and yet unacceptable to voters.
Perhaps the most famous and consequential dog story in American political history occurred in 1944 when Franklin Roosevelt ran for his fourth term as President. His political opponents tried to make something of a scandal about FDR’s Scottish Terrier Fala, a White House and public favorite pet.****
President Roosevelt with His Dog Fala (Copyright Bettmann/Corbis / AP Images)
President FDR Takes Some Fresh Air with His Faithful Companion Fala
Roosevelt held a press conference captured on video and eviscerated his opponents with a masterful application of a scalpel followed by a baseball bat. If you haven’t ever heard this, it is a political masterstroke. It is devastating and side splittingly funny. Yet it was a window into a serious national political debate.
Roosevelt won in a landslide with 432 electoral votes to Dewey’s 99.
Fala may be the most famous White House pet in U.S. history. Certainly he is the only one who has a statue alongside his master at a Presidential Memorial in Washington, D.C,. adjacent to the Tidal Basin.
Fala With His Master At Washington’s FDR National Monument Keeping Watch Forever
Eight years later (1952), Republican Senator Richard Nixon was fighting for his political life over a donor’s slush fund scandal as he was about to be thrown off the Eisenhower ticket as the nominee for Vice-President. Nixon gave a 30-minute speech watched by 60 million viewers (in 1952!) to talk about his dear pet dog Checkers (and wife Pat’s good republican cloth coat), and was allowed to stay on the ticket because of public support sparked by his TV speech. It was the largest American audience for any televisionprogram up to that time.
Another hugely consequential political speech inspired by the candidate’s dog ownership.
What Do Dogs (and Other Pets) Have to Say About Trump?
Dogs can’t speak back to their owners in English, but they can communicate quite effectively nonetheless. Here are tow examples of candid pet reaction to Trump. There are lots of internet parodies that his conduct has elicited, but these examples seem spontaneous and not staged. I can’t guarantee there isn’t some selectivity, but there is no obvious James O’Keefe (Project Veritas) type content.
Judge for yourself.
The first took place in Tompkins Square Park (East Village) in New York City in May 2016. A series of three pictures was published in a blog post.
The next is a twofer of YouTube pet reaction compilations, with dogs and cats responding to Trump’s picture or his voice. The reactions appear reasonably unrehearsed and not due to owner manipulation, but you never know.
The third example is the most obviously genuine. It includes video outtakes from an August 2015 Time Magazine shoot in Trump’s New York office in the presence of Uncle Sam, a majestic 27-year old Bald Eagle, a living example of America’s national bird, projecting strength and power even at observant rest.
Watch the Eagle vs Trump Video
Trump said at the time he wasn’t scared. Why not? What rational person wouldn’t be concerned moving around a foot or two in front of a wild Bald Eagle in an unnatural place, with his wings unfettered, his beak unshielded, and his talons intact? Any normal child would know to be extremely cautious, without needing an Ivy League education either.
Trump just casually sticks his hand into the bird’s immediate physical environment to grab whatever. Super dumb move. He’s lucky the magnificent bird didn’t decide to digest a couple of Trump’s fingers as a tasty midday snack. The saddest thing of all is that Trump apparently expects Mother Nature (“red in tooth and claw”, Alfred Lord Tennyson 1849) to obey his unspoken commands and fierce countenance to steer well clear of Trump’s obvious manly potency.
Talk about an overblown ego and ridiculous sense of entitlement, even unarmed and unprepared, before God’s raptors. Or ,maybe Trump thought Time Magazine was going to spend money and train the bird to sit still for him as a courtesy.
Anyway, final score:Eagles 1, Trump In Retreat. Eagle Uncle Same has lots of fans. Count me among them,, at the end of this taxing campaign.
Summary
Do not mistake this post about Presidential dog ownership as some sort of entirely frivolous detour. Dogs are quite smart and intuitive about their owners and others around them. They respond to humans with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
“Don’t Trust a Man Who Doesn’t Like Dogs” has been offered as folk wisdom before. The phrase is not literally true, but it embodies a core truth.
If a man is skittish, fearful, or uncomfortable around dogs, there is often something just a little bit off about him. Animals can read his emotional frequency pattern. In rare instances, there may be a perfectly sound reason (a serious childhood bite or unwarranted dog attack) to act strangely. Otherwise, a regular dog is bred over generations to respond warmly to humans, even strangers, as long as no threat from them is projected.
It is not an accident that Americans have chosen dog-owning Presidents for 114 consecutive years without exception. Trump has made no effort to conform to this precedent; only he knows better than we do what the rest of us need for our own security and safety.
There are lots of poor reasons not to vote for one or another candidate this year. The question of dog ownership is not a trivial one. Trump’s awkward non-relationship to the canine world is one factor, among others, that America’s dog owners (about half our population) could reasonably take into account as they decide which candidate to cast their ballot for.
The Last Minute Good News for Trump!
Despite his Dogless status, the end of the campaign is not quite upon us. Trump still has hours left to cure this pre-Presidential defect before Election Day. He can acquire a favorite best Fido (as his hotel recommends), right now. The beauty of our modern communications structure is that he could then immediately fire off a Tweet storm informing all Americans before they vote, that he is fully prepared on Day One to assume office and honor another informal, but solid, American Presidential tradition.
When I was about 3 or 4 years old a catchy popular novelty song was released by Patti Page. It hit the top of the charts in April 1953, and sold more than 2 million copies. I distinctly remember the record playing on our RCA Victor Victrola combination radio and record player at home. We about wore out the vinyl for the next several months. The record was influential enough that the American Kennel Club (AKC) announced dog registrations increased 8% in the year 1953. That’s moving the needle with a song.
Portrait of Nipper, Iconic Canine Inspiration for Original RCA Victor Logo “His Master’s Voice”
It felt like Patti Page was singing directly to me. She describes going on a trip to California as the reason she wants to buy the puppy. I was born in California, and we had just moved to New Jersey the year before. A trip in the reverse direction. To a kid, that meant she knew all about my circumstances. It may not make rational adult sense, but that’s kid logic for you, plain as day.
Here’s Patti Page from 1953 with some last minute pertinent advice for one Donald J. Trump, in his hour of need.
Watch Patti Page Sing “How Much is That Doggie in the Window” (1953)*****
*Actually this universal pet claim is not quite right, according to the exhaustive data at the Presidential Pet Museum website. President James Polk was a life long accomplished horseman, but apparently did not keep any pets while he occupied the White House from 1845-1849. So the score is 43 Presidents with pets, one who didn’t own any. The only time a U.S. President was elected who didn’t have a pet was 171 years ago. Now that’s a strong tradition in a county that has had Presidents for two centuries (227 years).
Polk is a fascinating 19th century President, now ranked as one of America’s 10 best ever.
A brief excerpt from the Wikipedia entry:
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th President of the United States (1845–49). Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–39)—the only president to have served as House Speaker—and the first of two people (the other being Andrew Johnson) to serve as Governor of Tennessee (1839–41). Polk was the surprise (dark horse) candidate for president in 1844, defeating Henry Clay of the rival Whig Party by promising to annex the Republic of Texas. Polk was a leader of Jacksonian Democracy during the Second Party System.
Polk is often considered the last strong pre–Civil War president, having met during his four years in office every major domestic and foreign policy goal set during his campaign and the transition to his administration. When Mexico rejected the U.S. annexation of Texas (which Mexico considered part of its territory, despite the 1836 Texas Revolution), Polk led the nation to a sweeping victory in the Mexican–American War, which resulted in the cession by Mexico of nearly the whole of what is now the American Southwest. He ensured a substantial reduction of tariff rates by replacing the “Black Tariff” with the Walker tariff of 1846, which pleased the less-industrialized states of his native South by rendering less expensive both imported and, through competition, domestic goods. He threatened war with the United Kingdom over the issue of which nation owned the Oregon Country, eventually reaching a settlement in which the British were made to sell the portion that became the Oregon Territory. Additionally, he built an independent treasury system that lasted until 1913, oversaw the opening of the U.S. Naval Academy and of the Smithsonian Institution, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument, and the issuance of the first United States postage stamp.
**American Presidents have exhibited eclectic taste in their total pet ownership choices over the years, as befits the occupant of the most powerful office in our country. But dog ownership is the common glue. However, for variety’s sake here are Calvin Coolidge’s pet raccoon Rebecca, and William Taft’s pet milk cow, Pauline Wayne, both dating from the early 1900’s. Pauline Wayne was the last cow quartered at the White House. I wonder if the Milk Combine (Lobby) has anything to do with that?
***Never one to overlook a commercial opportunity, Trump may not have any truck with dogs as pets for himself or his family, but he knows a money-maker when he bumps into one. Thus, we have a special doggie service for guests at his Las Vegas Trump International Hotel. See, from their website:
TRUMP® PETS
Don’t leave home without your four-legged friends. Our pet-friendly hotel in Las Vegas has a luxurious visit planned for furry jet-setters. The Trump® Pets program will fill your best Fido’s tummy with gourmet treats and see them off to sleep on a plush dog bed. Dog-walking services can even be arranged through the concierge or Trump Attaché™.
- More pet-friendly amenities and services:
- Irresistible gourmet treats
- Water bowl and fresh bottled water
- Toys promising hours of entertainment
*Pet guests at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas must weigh less than 25 pounds, and there is a non-refundable $200 pet cleaning fee.
I would point out that since Trump is intimately familiar with deadbeats who try and stiff a vendor for services honestly supplied. Trump announces, upfront and center, there is a non-refundable $200 pet cleaning fee. You know, in case a rip off artist tries to say the gourmet doggie treats are not irresistible enough, or the toys were boring, or the plush doggie bed is not up to their standards.
That way, there is always a profit margin, and you have a margin to negotiate any disputes from a position of strength. Wanna bet the bottled water is Trump Ice®, that sparking pure liquid? Do you think the maids at the Las Vegas hotel have a different cleaning protocol for dog occupied rooms than the rest of the hotel, to sort of justify a $200 charge?
****Fala, Roosevelts Scottish Terrier, from Wikipedia entry:
Fala (April 7, 1940 – April 5, 1952), a Scottish Terrier, was the dog of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. One of the most famous presidential pets, Fala captured the attention of the public in the United States and followed Roosevelt everywhere, becoming part of his public image. Given to the Roosevelts by a cousin, Fala knew how to perform tricks; his White House antics were widely covered in the media and often referenced both by Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. Fala survived Roosevelt by seven years and was buried beside him. A statue of him beside Roosevelt is prominently featured in Washington, D.C.’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the only presidential pet so honored. Another statue of him has been placed at Puerto Rico’s “Paseo de los Presidentes” in San Juan.
Fala was born on April 7, 1940. He was given as an early Christmas gift to Roosevelt from his distant cousin, Margaret “Daisy” Suckley: As a puppy, Fala was given obedience training by Suckley, who taught him to sit, roll over, and jump. His original name was Big Boy; Roosevelt renamed him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill after John Murray of Falahill, a famous Scottish ancestor. This was later shortened to “Fala”.
Fala moved into the White House on November 10, 1940, and spent most of his time there until Roosevelt’s death in April 1945. Fala also traveled with Roosevelt to his home (Springwood) in Hyde Park, New York, and to Warm Springs, Georgia, where Roosevelt received treatment for his polio-induced paralysis.
An MGM film about a typical day in the White House featured Fala. Fala also became an honorary private in the U.S. Army by “contributing” $1 to the war effort for every day of the year and setting an example for others on the home front. During the Battle of the Bulge, American soldiers asked one another the name of the President’s dog, expecting the answer “Fala,” as a supplementary safeguard against German soldiers attempting to infiltrate American ranks.
*****From the Wikipedia entry for “How Much is That Doggie in the Window”:
(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?” is a popular novelty song published as having been written by Bob Merrill in 1952 and very loosely based on the folk tune, Carnival of Venice. This song is also loosely based on the song “Oh, where, oh, where, has my little dog gone?” The best-known version of the song was the original, recorded by Patti Page on December 18, 1952, and released in January 1953 by Mercury Records as catalog numbers 70070 (78 rpm) and 70070X45 (45 rpm) under the title “The Doggie in the Window”, with the flip side being “My Jealous Eyes”. It reached No. 1 on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1953, and sold over two million copies.
“Doggie” was one in a series of successful novelty songs since the 1930s, following on the success of songs such as Bing Crosby’s “Pistol Packin’ Mama” and Merv Griffin’s “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”. Prior to the release of “Doggie”, composer Bob Merrill penned “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake”. The original Page recording included the sounds of dogs barking, credited on the label as “Barks by Joe and Mac” (her arranger, Joe Reisman, and a violinist). The recording also features Page’s signature multi-part tight harmonies, all sung by Page. Throughout the years, she recorded several other versions as well.
On April 4, 1953, singer Patti Page’s rendition of “The Doggie in the Window” went to No. 1 in the US Billboard magazine chart, staying at that top spot for eight weeks. The song was wildly popular across a wide demographic. The song had school children “yipping”; Mercury Records was besieged with requests for free puppies; and the American Kennel Club’s annual registrations spiked up by eight percent. In all, Page’s record sold over 2 million copies.