Species | Canis lupus familiaris |
---|---|
Breed | Scottish Terrier |
Sex | Male |
Nation from | American |
Occupation | Pet |
Known for | Pet of the US First Family |
Owner | George W. Bush and Laura Bush |
Parent(s) | Kelly (father), Coors (mother) |
Appearance | Black fur |
http://www.barney.gov/ |
Barney (born September 30, 2000) in New Jersey, U.S.A., often referred to as the "First Dog," is a Scottish Terrier owned in succession by U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Barney also has his own official web page which redirects to a extension of the White House website.
Family
The original canine's mother, Coors, is owned by former Environmental Protection Agency Director Christine Todd Whitman. The dog's father is known only as Kelly.
Interests
Barney is said to enjoy playing with volley and golf balls, and enjoyed observing games of horseshoes. There are various web sites across the Internet devoted to Barney. Most notably, he has been the main star of the White House's annual Christmas videos since the start of the Bush administration.
Barney was featured in several films that go by the name of Barneycam and are made by the White House Staff, and star both Barney himself and Miss Beazley, his sister. These movies can be found on the White House web site. The titles of the films to date are: Barney Cam I (2002), Barney and Spot's Winter Wonderland (2003), Barney Reloaded (Barney Cam II, 2003), Where in the White House is Miss Beazley? (Barney Cam III, 2004), Barney has found Miss Beazley (2005), Barney and Miss Beazley's Spring Garden Tour (2005), A Very Beazley Christmas (Barney Cam IV, 2005), Barney's Holiday Extravaganza (Barney Cam V, 2006), My Barney Valentine (2007), and Barney Cam: Holiday in the National Parks (2007).
Media Attention
Bush quoting Bob Woodward
Barney was evoked in famous Bush quote coming from Bob Woodward about the Iraq War in State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III (ISBN 0743272234) and repeated during a 60 Minutes interview:
- Late last year he had key Republicans up to the White House to talk about the war. And said, 'I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me.' Barney is his dog," Woodward says. "My work on this leads to lots of people who spend hours, days with the president."[1]
Criticism by Karl Rove and and Vladimir Putin
White House official Karl Rove remarked shortly after his resignation that Barney was "a lump." Barney has also been criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin who feels a world leader should own large macho dogs not smaller breeds such as the Scottish Terrier. [2]
Satires
On November 27, 2006 Barney was featured in an article in satirical newspaper The Onion titled "Troop Morale Boosted By Surprise Visit From First Dog". The article described a fictitious visit by Barney to troops in Iraq.
On December 14, 2006 the Daily Show satirized Barney's Holiday Extravaganza.[3]
Barney was, at one point, satirized in "The Bugle".
Bites
On November 6, 2008, Barney bit Reuters news reporter Jon Decker in the finger.[4]. Barney had bitten Boston Celtics public relations director Heather Walker in the wrist on September 19th, 2008 breaking the skin and drawing blood, but the incident was not reported until after the November 6th bite. Laura Bush's spokesperson joked afterwards that "I think it was his way of saying he was done with the paparazzi." [5]
See also
References
- ^ Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq - CBS 60 Minutes - October 1, 2006
- ^ Scottish Terrier and Dog News es]] - August 30, 2007
- ^ Barney's Holiday Extravaganza from The Daily Show
- ^ Feller, Ben. Dog bites reporter: Is that news? FOXNews.com
- ^ Rodrique Ngowi, AP WriterCeltics PR Director Says White House Dog Bit Her