Year of the Dog, Year of the non-Dog?

I don't know if it's because this is the Year of the Dog, but there have been some wild non-dog stories in the news recently.

Just this week came a story that a family in China adopted what they thought was a Tibetan mastiff puppy that turned out to have an insatiable appetite two years ago. The cuddly pet "Little Black" downed a box of fruit and two buckets of noodles every day and just kept getting bigger and bigger.

When it reached 250 pounds and started walking on its hind legs, the family got suspicious and took it to the Yunnan Wildlife Rescue Center where he was identified as an Asiatic black bear, also known as a white chested bear, a species listed as vulnerable by the World Wildlife Federation.

Similar stories emerged. About two weeks ago, a woman, Ms. Wang, showed up at a zoo in China and handed over her nearly year-old Japanese spitz, which turned out to be an arctic fox. She had started to get a little suspicious when the pet's tail grew inordinately long and other dogs seemed to be scared of it, whenever she took it for a walk on a leash.

And then as if commentators haven't found enough about the Trump Administration to whine about, someone pointed out that this is the first White House in the modern era to not have a pet dog.

"This is the first time in more than 100 years that a president doesn't have a dog," said Kris Rotondo, co-founder and co-CEO of Pet-Smooch, a social network for animal lovers.

"This is one policy position the president should rethink, though, because dogs are great companions and great for reducing stress," Rotonda added.

It's true. Herbert Hoover had King Tut, his Belgian Malinois police dog. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had his black Scottish terrier, Fala, who still makes regular appearances in crossword puzzles. And first lady Barbara Bush's English springer spaniel, Millie, became a best-selling author in 1990.

Rotonda suggests as few breeds for Trump that might help further the agenda. Adopting a Korean Jindo, for instance, might be seen as an olive branch to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Jindos are known for their loyalty (a plus for Trump) but also noted for their dominance (a perhaps not-so-plus for Trump).

A French bulldog might flatter the president's new best friend President Emmanuel Macron. A big Black Russian terrier, which are bred to work in the Russian military, could send a strong signal to Putin (not sure what exactly).

A delightful new book, The Dogs of Camelot: Stories of the Kennedy Canines by Joan Lownds and Margaret Reed, chronicles the joys and affection the first family's pack of nine dogs brought to the White House. It's really worth a read, whether you're a dog-lover or history-lover or not.

There was Buddy, Joe Sr and Rose Kennedy's Newfoundland, the dachshund JFK bought as a young man traveling through Germany in 1937, and Shannon, the black-and-white cocker spaniel Ireland's President Eamon de Valera gave the Kennedys as a gift. John John's favorite was Charlie the Welsh terrier.

"[Jack Kennedy] had to be with dogs," Lownds said. "He just loved them so much."

The historical anecdote told best in the book is reminiscent of the breakthrough in international diplomacy that was catalyzed by pandas.

In June 1961, just before the Cuban Missile Crisis was about to heat up and tensions between Washington and Moscow were running high, Kennedy met Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at a summit in Vienna. At a state dinner hosted by Austrian President Adolf Scharf, first lady Jackie Kennedy was seated next to Khrushchev.

Mrs Kennedy turned to the Soviet leader and said she had heard that one of the dogs Russia had sent into space had recently had a litter of puppies. "Why don't you send me one?" she said.

Days after they returned to Washington, the Soviet ambassador brought several gifts to the White House for Jackie from Khrushchev - a photo album of Moscow, bottles of liqueur and perfume, a golden tea set and Pushkina the puppy.

Pushinka went on to catch the fancy of Charlie the Welsh terrier and produced six puppies. "When news got out about this star-crossed romance, the White House received 5,000 letters from children hoping to adopt one," Lownds writes.

The best argument for a White House pet may come from President Harry S. Truman: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.