With support from the University of Richmond

New perspectives on how history is made

Pets in the White House

A notable curiosity in the current presidential campaign is an absence of dogs, who have often appeared as supporting cast in previous American elections and sometimes, tails wagging, even helped shift a campaign’s momentum.

The most familiar of these political dogs are Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fala and Richard Nixon’s Checkers. Both of these dogs rescued embattled candidates eight years apart to the day.

Related Links

  • NYT: White House Pets
  • Read entire article at NYT