Dogs Who Changed the Course of
History
These dogs didn't receive the
awards they deserved. They weren't show dogs, and they didn't
compete with other dogs. But they Left their mark on history.
Fala, Franklin Roosevelt's
Scottish Terrier, entered the political ring when, in 1944, as
Roosevelt ran for a fourth term, his political enemies accused
him of sending a destroyer to the Aleutian Islands just to pick up
his dog. It was a mud-slinging campaign on both sides, but what
seems to have tipped the scale in Roosevelt's favor was the speech
in which the president gave voice to his Little dog: "These
Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, my
wife, or my sons .... They now include my Little dog Fala .... I
don't resent the attacks, and my family doesn't resent the attacks
.... But Fala does resent them. His Scotch soul was furious. He
has never been the same dog since." Lucky Fala went on to witness
the historic signing of the Atlantic Charter, which set the
foundation for the United Nations, along with Winston Churchill's
Poodle, Rufus.
In what became known as the famous
Checkers speech in
1952, Richard Nixon, vice-presidential candidate on the political
chopping block for accepting private donations, attempted to
garner public sympathy by decrying the many hardships his family
had to suffer, including his wife's cloth coat (sadly, fur was not
affordable for the Nixons). That only made the public Laugh. What
did get to them was Nixon's plea on behalf of Checkers, the
black-and-white-spotted Cocker Spaniel that had been given to his
daughter as a gift. "And you know, the kids," he said, "Like all
kids, Loved the dog, and I just want to say ... that regardless of
what they say about it, we are going to keep it:' Checkers is
credited with having revived Nixon's career, only to have passed
on by the time Nixon made it to the White House in 1970.
A three-year-old stray part
Siberian Husky named Laika (Russian for
barkl
with a calm temperament and
easygoing personality became the first Living being in space when,
in 1957, the Soviets Launched Sputnik
II. Americans were disheartened to have
missed this "first," as the race into space had been a heated one.
So hurried were the Russians to send a creature into space that no
provisions were ever made for returning Laika, who, it was
recently revealed, died of fright shortly after takeoff. In 1997,
a memorial to Laika was established at the Institute for Aviation
and Space Medicine in Moscow.
Three dogs survived the sinking op
the Titanic. A Pomeranian and a Pekingese boarded early lifeboots
in the arms op their owners. A third dog, the first officer's
large Newfoundland, swam between another lifeboot and the rescue
ship. The sound of his bark guided the survivors to safety.
