First dogs: american presidents and their best friends

“Rowan intertwines anecdotes and dozens of photographs with hard-to-stop-reading stories that track the canine legacy on America’s democracy.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog,” Harry Truman once said. Perhaps that’s why, for much of our Republic’s history, there have been two top dogs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—one with two legs, one with four. First Dogs, by distinguished journalist Roy Rowan and researcher Brooke Janis, tells the whole doggone story, from the days before there was a White House to Barack Obama’s adopted presidential pup, Bo. Here’s a lighthearted romp through American history, packed with drawings and paintings from early America, plus photographs, starting with Abraham Lincoln’s Fido. Not only did these four-footed goodwill ambassadors humanize their distinguished masters, they offered them a little unconditional love in a loveless town. First Dogs gives dog lovers and history lovers a new angle on presidential history and is more fun than you can shake a stick (or rubber bone) at. “A doggone delight that will leave you sitting up and begging for more. I give it four paws up.” —Dan Rather “It’s the charming photos that make First Dogs so appealing.” —USA Today “Succeeds in keeping the tail of trivia wagging the dog of American history. This one is fur keeps.” —People “Witty, engaging . . . This illustrated and light-hearted tribute to and appreciation of presidential dogs is a true delight.” —Chattanooga Times