Buddy (dog)
Encyclopedia
Buddy a male chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever
, was one of two pets owned by Bill Clinton
while he was President of the United States
. The Clintons' other pet was a cat
named Socks
.
in December 1997. He named him after his late great-uncle, Henry Oren "Buddy" Grisham, who had died the previous June and whom Clinton often cited as a major influence on his life.
Socks didn't get along with the frisky Buddy, so the White House had to keep the two in separate quarters. Since this arrangement would be no longer possible in the Clintons' smaller home in New York, Socks was left under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie
.
, on January 2, 2002. The Clintons were not home at the time of the accident; their home was being watched by Secret Service
agents. The agents rushed Buddy to an animal hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In 2005, Clinton acquired another chocolate Lab whom he named Seamus.
Hillary Clinton wrote a children's book called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets in 1998. It included excerpts from more than 50 letters written to the First Pets by children and more than 80 photographs of Socks and Buddy.
Buddy was a central character in Rick Cleveland
's 2005 one-man show My Buddy Bill, relating the writer's fictional friendship with Bill Clinton, which began when both men discovered their common interest in dogs.
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
, was one of two pets owned by Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
while he was President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. The Clintons' other pet was a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
named Socks
Socks (cat)
Socks was the pet cat of U.S. President Bill Clinton's family during his presidency. An adopted stray cat, he was the only pet of the Clintons during the early years of the administration, and his likeness hosted the children's version of the White House website...
.
Life
Clinton acquired Buddy as a 3-month-old puppy from Caroline County, MarylandCaroline County, Maryland
Caroline County is a wholly rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. It is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talbot County to the west, Dorchester County to the south, Kent County, Delaware, to the east, and Sussex County, Delaware, to the southeast. As...
in December 1997. He named him after his late great-uncle, Henry Oren "Buddy" Grisham, who had died the previous June and whom Clinton often cited as a major influence on his life.
Socks didn't get along with the frisky Buddy, so the White House had to keep the two in separate quarters. Since this arrangement would be no longer possible in the Clintons' smaller home in New York, Socks was left under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie
Betty Currie
Betty Currie is the former personal secretary for Bill Clinton...
.
Death
According to the police report, Buddy was killed by a car while "playfully chasing a contractor" who had left the Clinton home in Chappaqua, New YorkChappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
, on January 2, 2002. The Clintons were not home at the time of the accident; their home was being watched by Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agents. The agents rushed Buddy to an animal hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In 2005, Clinton acquired another chocolate Lab whom he named Seamus.
Cultural references
First LadyFirst Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Hillary Clinton wrote a children's book called Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets in 1998. It included excerpts from more than 50 letters written to the First Pets by children and more than 80 photographs of Socks and Buddy.
Buddy was a central character in Rick Cleveland
Rick Cleveland
Rick Cleveland is an American television writer, playwright and monologist, best known for writing on the HBO original series, Six Feet Under and NBC's The West Wing....
's 2005 one-man show My Buddy Bill, relating the writer's fictional friendship with Bill Clinton, which began when both men discovered their common interest in dogs.