SHOULD THERE BE A DOG IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

Dogs and the White House have a long and stirring mutual history. Herbert Hoover prowled the grounds with King Tut, his Belgian Malinois police dog. Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s black Scottish Terrier, Fala, apparently enjoyed a high security clearance because he accompanied the president to secret meetings. And Millie, First Lady Barbara Bush’s English Springer Spaniel, became a bestselling author with Millie’s Book in 1990. Yet despite the long and faithful connection between First Families and canines, at the moment there is no First Dog and no sign President Donald Trump plans to acquire one any time soon. “This is the first time in more than 100 years that
a president doesn’t have a dog,” says Kris Rotonda, co-founder and co-CEO of Pet-Smooch (www.petsmooch.com), a social network for animal lovers and their pets.
“This is one policy position the president should rethink, though, because dogs are great companions and great for reducing stress.” To make the president’s choice easy, Rotonda says Pet-Smooch has a GoldenDoodle puppy named Smoochie that it would be happy to offer as a gift. But in the spirit of canine camaraderie, Rotonda suggests
a few other breeds the president might consider if he decides to welcome a “world leader’s best friend” into the Oval Office: •Korean Jindo. As the president seeks improved relations with North Korean President Kim Jong-Un, adopting this breed could be seen as an olive branch. •French Bulldog. Trump reportedly has an affinity
for French President Emmanuel Macron, so a Frenchie could serve as a pet salute to this favored foreign leader •Black Russian Terrier. These large dogs originally were bred to work in the Russian military, so it would be like having a Russian in the White House •Xoloitzcuintli. The Mexican hairless could help relations with our Southern neighbors. •Portuguese Water Dog. This breed is hypoallergenic, something the notoriously germaphobic president could appreciate •GoldenDoodle. A GoldenDoodle is technically a mutt, if Trump wants to go the populist route