1920: Laddie Boy and His Friend, Warren Harding

Laddie Boy handled his fame with panache!

I didn't know if a celebrity dog would fit in this blog.  

Then I thought, of course he would if he is a good dog! 

And Laddie Boy certainly was.

I was attracted to these photos because my grandmother had a much beloved dog named Laddie. This posting is a bit more "talky" than most...but I like looking things up and then sharing!
Laddie was really an important  part of President Harding's and his family's life.

During their time in the White House, from 1921 to 1923, the Hardings included their dog in almost every aspect of their daily lives. When Harding golfed with friends, Laddie Boy tagged along. During cabinet meetings, the dog sat in (perched on his own chair). At fundraising events, the first lady frequently had Laddie Boy make appearances. The dog was such a prominent White House personality that the Washington Star and the New York Times seemed to run stories about the terrier almost daily in the months after Harding took office. In a 39-day period in the spring of 1921, these are just some of the headlines that appeared in the Times:

"Gets Airedale as Mascot"
"Laddie Boy a Newsboy"
"Trees White House Cat" 
"Laddie Boy Gets Playmate"

Born on July 26, 1920, at the Caswell Kennels in Toledo, Ohio, Laddie Boy was 6 months old when he arrived at the White House on March 5, 1921, the day after Harding's inauguration. A sitting U.S. senator from Marion, Ohio, Harding had won the 1920 presidential election with 60 percent of the popular vote. Harding, who had brought his relaxed and informal work style to the presidency, instructed his staff to bring Laddie Boy to him as soon as he was delivered to the White House. The staff obeyed, interrupting Harding's first cabinet meeting to unveil the terrier. "With many manifestations of pleasure, the President led his new pet into his office, where he made himself at home," wrote a Times reporter on March 5.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-white-houses-first-celebrity-dog-48373830/

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