Barack Obama Welcomes New Dog Bo to White House

Bo Obama, Portuguese Water Dog

Pol Light Moment #106 happened on April 14, 2009, when Barack Obama welcomed his new dog Bo to the White House for the first time. Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States. He served as President of the United States from 2009-2017.

Here is a video of Barack Obama and his family showing Bo to his new home in the White House.


For other posts on Barack Obama search with the "Barack Obama" label at Pol Light.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Barack Obama is in the Public Domain.

Pat Quinn Helps Dog Get Adopted

Pat Quinn

Pol Light Moment #89 happened on August 19, 2014, when Pat Quinn went on the Steve and Steve Pet Adoption Segment on WGN Radio and helped a dog named Marvin get adopted. Pat Quinn was the Governor of Illinois from 2009-2015. From 2003-2009 he was the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

Marvin was a dog being cared for by the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago and was in need of a loving home. Dog lover Steve Cochran started a monthly Steve and Steve Pet Adoption Segment on WGN Radio in August and Pat Quinn came on the first show to help Marvin get adopted on live radio (Chicago Now, Steve Dale's Pet World, August 19, 2014). The program was successful and Marvin was adopted.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

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The photo of Pat Quinn is in Wikipedia Creative Commons and taken by Chris Eaves.

Cory Booker Helps Rescue Freezing Dog

Cory Booker

Pol Light Moment #71 is when Cory Booker helped rescue a freezing dog on January 23, 2014. Cory Booker has served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2013 to the present. Prior to that he was the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey from 2006-2013.

On January 23, 2014, Cory Booker was notified through social media by reporter Toni Yates that there was a dog in Newark outisde in arctic temperatures.  Upon hearing this Cory Booker picked up the dog and warmed it up in a police car.  Cory Booker said this to the owners:

This dog is shaking really bad, and you just can't leave your dogs out here on a day like this and go away and expect them to be O.K. Hyperthermia on any animal, including a human animal, will set in pretty quickly. So this is very sad, you can just feel the dog shaking pretty badly (Cory Booker As Quoted by Nolan Feeney, Newsfeed, January 25, 2014).

Cory Booker has appeared on other moments on Pol Light. If you would like to see other posts on Cory Booker at Pol Light search with the label Cory Booker.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Cory Booker is from the Creative Commons of Wikipedia.

George W. Bush's Dog Barney Stars in Final Video

Pol Light Moment #42 is when George W. Bush's dog Barney starred in his final Christmas video on December 15, 2008.  George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001-2009.  Barney who is a Scottish Terrier was the "First Dog" for 8 years. Barney died on February 1, 2013 from Lymphoma (Wikipedia: Barney (dog)). 
The following is Barney's Final Christmas Video. It was the 7th Edition of the popular video series.

Barney's White House webpage was frozen in the historical archives and is still available for reading at http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/.

George W. Bush has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all George W. Bush posts search with George W. Bush label at Pol Light.
Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.
The photo of Barney in the Bush White House is in the Public Domain. 

Lyndon Johnson Sings with Dog Yuki

LBJ Library Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto

Pol Light Moment #36 occurred on February 6, 1968, when President Lyndon Baines Johnson sang with his dog Yuki for the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britian, David K.E. Bruce. Lyndon Johnson was the 36th President of the United States, serving from 1963-1969. He was the Vice President of the United States from 1961-1963 under President John F. Kennedy and also served as a United States Senator from Texas from 1949-1961.

Lyndon Baines Johnson is one of the biggest dog lovers of all the U.S. Presidents. Johnson was very proud of his dog Yuki's ability to sing before an audience. Ambassador Bruce certainly isn't the only person to ever be treated to a duet with Yuki and President Johnson, but the photograph above documents the point in time when he received the privilege on February 6, 1968.

The following is a recording where Lyndon Baines Johnson explains that dogs have always been his friends. At the end of the recording he shares how he came to receive the last dog he owned named Yuki after his daughter Luci found the dog abandoned and homeless.

Johnson received Yuki on Thanksgiving Day in 1966 and she was with the President to sing for Ambassador Bruce in 1968 and other honored guests through the years. Yuki also remained beside Johnson throughout his last 5 years after he left office. After Johnson died in 1973, Yuki went to live with Lyndon Johnson's daughter, Luci Johnson Nugent. Yuki died in 1979 (Source). For more information on Lyndon Baines Johnson singing with his beloved dog Yuki see the website at http://presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Yuki.htm. 
Lyndon Johnson has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all Lyndon Johnson posts search with Lyndon Johnson label at Pol Light.
Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

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The photo with this post is from the LBJ Library photo taken by Yoichi R. Okamoto.  The LBJ Library website indicates that their photos are in the public domain or can be used free with credit to the source, which in this case was Yoichi R. Okamoto (Source). 

Roy Blunt Adopts Homeless Dog

Pol Light Moment #22 is when Roy Blunt adopted a homeless dog. Roy Blunt is a United States Senator representing the State of Missouri. He has served in office from January, 2011 to the present.

The Joplin Human Society reported that Roy Bunt said, "When Abby and I decided to get a new pet for our family, we knew we wanted to rescue a homeless shelter dog (Source)."

On January 21, 2011 Roy Blunt announced on his Facebook Page the following about his adoption, "Picked up our family's new rescue dog this morning. We adopted a male Silky Terrier Mix from Animal Adoption & Resource Center at the Joplin Humane Society (Source)."

The dog was named Max and was given as a gift to Roy Blunt's youngest son Charlie (Source).  A photo of Roy Blunt and his new dog is available as an image at stltoday.com or on Roy Blunt's Facebook timeline for January, 2011.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of Roy Blunt is in the Public Domain.

Theodore Roosevelt Inspires the Teddy Bear

Pol Light Moment #20 is when Theodore Roosevelt's Mississippi hunting trip in November, 1902 inspired the teddy bear. Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, serving from 1901-1909.

On November 14, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip near Onward, Mississippi with several other people. To his disappointment Roosevelt had been unable to kill a bear for the first 3 days of the trip, so his aides, including the guide Holt Collier, captured a weak and old black bear and tied it to a tree for Roosevelt to easily kill. Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot the defenseless bear as part of the sport hunt, but because the bear was injured he directed that someone else shoot the bear and put it out of it's misery (Source).

The incident of Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear that was tied to a tree spawned the idea for a cartoon, which influenced the development of a toy known to this day as the teddy bear. The following is the cartoon of this moment that was done by Clifford Kennedy Berryman and was published in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902. Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and created a toy bear called "Teddy's Bear". The toy was so widely popular that it led Morris Michtom to start the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company in 1903 (Source).

This video explains the story of Theodore Roosevelt inspiring the Teddy Bear.




For more information on Theodore Roosevelt inspiring the Teddy Bear visit the Kids Corner at Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photos: The photo at the top of this post of Theodore Roosevelt is in the Public Domain. The cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt's hunting trip that inspired the Teddy Bear is also in the Public Domain.

Charles Schumer Helps Reunite Marine with Dog

Charles Schumer

Pol Moment #18 culminated in March, 2012, when Charles Schumer helped reunite a retired marine with the dog she served with in Iraq. Charles Schumer has served in the United States Senate from 1998 to present, representing the state of New York.

Corporal Megan Leavy retired in 2007 and began a process to adopt the dog known as Sgt. Rex, that she had worked with on two tours of duty in Iraq.  The military denied Corporal Leavy's request and instead decided to keep Sgt. Rex in military service. Corporal Leavy continued to fight through redtape for five years to adopt Sgt. Rex, becoming very vocal over the years and enlisting the help of Senator Charles Schumer. Sgt. Rex's life depended on it, because after retirement the military considers old dogs as "excess", and they are sometimes euthanized.

Charles Schumer pressed the Air Force to help expedite an adoption of Sgt. Rex by Corporal Megan Leavy. An online petition was created by Charles Schumer's office that gained over 20,000 signatures. In 2012 Corporal Megan Leavy was finally reunited with Sgt. Rex, who is now 11 years of age. Here is a video of this story.




Charles Schumer said this in a press release on March 20, 2012 about the story.

We salute the Air Force and the Marines for doing the right thing and allowing Rex to be with Corporal Leavey. One canine, one human, both heroes. They should be united shortly and we’re glad it’s happening. I can think of no better ending to a story that inspired a nation than to see Sgt. Rex come home to his best friend. While millions of dog lovers across the country have a deep bond with their ‘best friend’, the bond forged between Corporal Leavey and Sgt. Rex is one that few of us will ever know. It’s only appropriate and right that the two of them enjoy their retirement from the service together. I again want to thank the Air Force and Marines for moving so quickly and I want to thank the thousands of New Yorkers and Americans who showed their support online (Source).

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.


Photo: The photo of Charles Schumer is in the Public Domain.