Summary:
Although leaders of war are hardly considered ordinary people, they also seek comfort/companionship from dogs. General George S. Patton (American general during WWII) sought comfort from his bull terrier, Willie while another American General Omer Bradley soughed it through his poodle, Beau. Erwin Rommel (German General during WWII) sought comfort of his pack of dachshunds. Commander in chief, General Swight D. Eisenhower had two Scottish terriers. U.S Airforce General Claire Chennault had the company of Joe, his dachshund. Admiral Fredrick Sherman had a cocker spaniel named Admiral Wags. And General George Armstrong Custer, was the youngest general in history until this day, and have as many books written on him as Lincoln. He had the reputation of an 'Indian Fighter' and was very strict in his disciplinary methods, this excluded him from others and caused him to only relax around his pack of dogs. He also hunts with his dogs that consisted of greyhounds, Bulcher, Swift, and Byron and his Scottish deerhounds, Tuck, Cardigan, and Lady.
George Washington had a lifelong love for dogs because of his passion for fox-hunting. He had a kennel of Virginia hounds (they no longer exist today) named Sweet Lips, Venus, Music, Lady, and True-Love, who shared a kennel with Taste, Tipsy, Tippler, and Drunkard. He gifted his Virginia hounds to people who would eventually make Washington in command of the Continental army and help him become elected for President by the Electoral College. During the battle of Germantown, he returned General Howe's (the British General) dog with a message to him and although the fighting did continue, General Howe respected Washington after that and won battles leniently. He resigned rather than to escalate in brutality towards the rebel colonists. When the war was over, Washington focused on breeding dogs fit for fox-hunting and bred the American foxhound.
Many Presidents in the Oval Office had companions. President Theodore Roosevelt had a Chesapeake retriever named Sailor Boy, bull terrier named Peter, Manchester terrier named Jack, a Saint Bernard, and many others. His favorite was Skip, a mixed breed; Roosevelt laid him in his coffin himself in the white house garden, although his wife moved Skip to their estate. President James Buchanan had a huge Newfoundland named Lara. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a Scottish terrier named Caacie. John F. Kennedy had a welsh terrier named Charlie and eventually 9 others. In the room of 'vital information, frantic aides, and fearful decisions' about Cuba and Russia, Kennedy called for Charlie, and stroke him for minutes before relaxing and making decisions. Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Warren Harding, Herbert Hover, Richard M. Nixon, and George Bush used their dogs to manipulate public opinions of them, and became a public relations asset. And lastly, dogs were therapeutic in Abraham Lincoln's life, especially Honey, a stray he saved as a kid, along with Jip and Fido in the future.
In the last chapter, Coren poses questions for the reader such as: Could the expedition of Lewis and Clark have been successful if the leaders, Lewis and Clark had not been saved by the Newfoundland, Seamon, from an angry bull? I think the expedition would not have been successful, unless there was someone who knew what Lewis and Clark was doing and was a good leader. Did the rise of Protestant and it's heated conflict with the Catholic church during Henry VIII of England could've been avoided or delayed if the dog named Urian had not sunk it's teeth into the Pope's toe as a misguided attempt to protect his master? I think the conflict between the protestant and catholic church would not have been in conflict if the dog never bit the Pope's toe, because the Henry VIII had already bribed the Pope to help him null his first marriage. Many times in history, mankind had depended upon the actions of their canine friends. For example, Alexander the Great had depended on his greyhound, Pertias to be there for him, especially on the battle field. Pertias had stopped a raging elephant from trampling over Alexander, opening a way for Alexander to escape, although Pertias did not survive. Alexander was deeply moved by Pertia's loyalty and therefore ordered to have to the dog located, preserved, named after a city, and a statue of him mounted in the central square. Influence of dogs have been helpful no matter the degree or method. Coren argues that if their owners were people whose actions have changed history, then this fact alone would mean that dogs have had an influence on historical events. I completely agree with this theory.
Quote:
''Teddy couldn't bear to leave him there beneath the eyes of presidents who might care nothing for a little mutt.'' (Coren 265).
Reaction:
I loved that quote that was originally explained by Roosevelt's wife, when she reburied Skip, Roosevelt's favorite dog, back to their estate. From this quote, I can assume that Roosvelt's bond with his dog was deep because he considers the fact that future Presidents may not care about this mutt that meant so much more to Roosevelt. He feels that even after death, he didn't want Skip to be unhappy. I also like the fact that Roosevelt's wife was considerate enough to rebury Skip in honor of her husband's wishes.
Overall, I think this book was nice to read, because it involved a lot of dogs that I never knew existed in the lives of the military leaders, politicians, and people of the nobility that I've learned about in school. And of course, the fact that although dogs seemed insignificant to historians, the dogs had actually made a huge impact on the lives of historical figures we study about today. If only the dogs were included in the school's history curriculum.... :)
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