Political pets are a century-old campaign staple

SEATTLE – While the gubernatorial campaigns of Bob Ferguson (D) and Dave Reichert (R) are divided on many issues, they have both posted pictures of the candidates alongside animals. It continues a long tradition of political figures highlighting pets in an effort to endear voters.

The first iconic political pet in modern American politics was Fala, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier.

Fala was beloved by members of White House staff and the press. In a speech to the Teamsters in 1944, FDR jokingly said that his dog resented attacks on the Roosevelt Administration.

“I don’t resent attacks, and my family don’t resent attacks, but Fala does resent them,” Roosevelt said.

Since Roosevelt, most presidential administrations had dogs or cats, including Ronald Reagan’s dog Lucky and Barack Obama’s dog Bo.

Donald Trump did not keep any pets while in the White House, but current President Joe Biden has a dog that bit Secret Service members several times before moving back to Delaware.

There are several current political pets across Washington, including Representative Pramila Jayapal’s dog Otis and Governor Jay Inslee’s dogs Pepper and Tilly.

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