All the presidents' dogs: Meet the pets of powerful people
President Michael D Higgins' love of Bernese Mountain dogs is well documented.
Joe Biden’s success in the US presidential election has been lauded by many people and organisations, but the highest cheer came from animal lovers as his success means the return of dogs to the White House. Donald Trump was the first US president in almost 120 years to live without a dog, which would seem unusual in other countries, including our own.
Here are five powerful people around the world with pets in their lives.
Our own president’s pets are almost more famous than the man himself. Two beautiful Bernese Mountain dogs, Bród and Síoda were often seen on the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin or joyfully padding through crowds, eager to find their master amidst the throng. Speaking about the pair in 2018, President Higgins said: "They're a very sociable breed and they're very safe with children. I've always had dogs all my life."Sadly, we lost Síoda this year following a short illness, but her brother Bród can still be sighted at the president’s side.
Russia’s president has four dogs who live in his home in Moscow. Buffy, Yume, Verni and Pasha. He had a fifth dog, Konni, who passed away in 2014. She was a black Labrador Retriever who sometimes attended meetings in Russia between her master and world leaders.
The Queen of the United Kingdom is well-known for her affection for dogs, particularly the corgi breed. Queen Elizabeth has owned more than 30 corgis since her reign began in 1952. Her parents also owned Pembroke Welsh corgi dogs. Her final corgi, Willow, died in April 2018, three years after it was reported that the Queen has stopped breeding corgis so she would not leave any behind when she died. She no longer has any full-breed corgis but two dorgis, Vulcan and Candy, are still alive.
Famously, following his election as US president in 2008, Barack Obama fulfilled a promise to his daughters and Portuguese water dog Bo joined the first family. The hypoallergenic breed was decided upon due to Malia Obama's allergies, which President Obama told reporters about: “We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So – so whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.” A few years later, Sunny, another Portuguese water dog, joined the Obamas at the White House.
In January 2021, Champ and Major Biden will be moving into the White House with their dad, President-elect Joe Biden. Champ and Major are two German shepherds. Champ previously spent time on Pennsylvania Avenue, having been bought as a puppy in 2008 ahead of Biden's time as vice-president under the Obama administration. "I've had German shepherds since I was a kid and I've actually trained them and shown them in the past," Biden told ABC at the time. A decade later, the Bidens adopted Major, who they had been fostering through the Delaware Humane Association. Major will be making history as the first rescue dog to live in the White House.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
