Fala received so much fan mail a secretary had to be hired.
In 1952, a little black and white cocker spaniel helped pull then-Vice Presidential hopeful Richard Nixon through a scandal in which he was accused of using U.S. $18,000 of supporters' money for personal use. In his famous Checkers speech, Nixon told listeners the only gift he'd accepted was a spaniel from a supporter in Texas.
"And our little girl Tricia, the six-year-old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it," he concluded.
The public loved the Checkers reference and Nixon secured the nomination.
Howls of Disapproval
Just as a pet can increase a politician's approval ratings, so too can it hurt.
In 1947, a supporter presented Harry S. Truman and family with a blond cocker spaniel named Feller for Christmas. Truman was widely accused of being "anti-canine" when it was reported that he gave the puppy to the White House physician.
Truman isn't the only president to incur the wrath of dog lovers.
Lyndon B. Johnson was lambasted when he picked his beagles up by their long floppy ears during a 1964 photo session on the White House lawn. The image—a sort of prequel of Michael Jackson dangling his son over a balcony—appeared in newspapers across the country and brought down a deluge of bad publicity that worried Johnson.
"I've read some interactions between Johnson and Hubert Humphrey where they were talking about how negative the photos were and how they were going to affect Johnson's political career," said Elmore.
Other presidential pet aficionados argue that a canine companion may be essential to a president.
Roy Rowan, co-author of First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Best Friends, cites Woodrow Wilson as a dog-less example. When, at the end of World War I, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which proposed the establishment of a League of Nations, Wilson went on a cross-country tour to drum up support. Exhausted, the president suffered a stroke.
"Doctors have long maintained that the simple act of petting a dog can reduce stress and lower high blood pressure—the problems that brought on Wilson's stroke," said Rowan.
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