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President
Johnson would take his beagles on his walks with the press on
the White House lawn. |
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President
Johson caused a storm of protest
when he lifted "Him" by his ears.
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Him and Her:
Him and Her, the most well known of the President Johnson's
dogs, were registered beagles born on June 27, 1963. The President
frequently played with the dogs and was often photographed with
them. In 1964, President Johnson raised the ire of many when he
lifted Him by his ears while greeting a group on the White House
lawn.
Him sired a
litter of puppies born in October 1965. President Johnson's daughter,
Luci, kept two of the puppies, Kim and Freckles. Luci first named
Freckles, "Pecosa," Spanish for a single freckle, but
the puppy eventually became known as Freckles. Kim and Freckles
were Luci's dogs. Kim moved to Texas with Luci after her marriage
to Pat Nugent, but Freckles remained at the White House with the
President.
Her died at
the White House in November1964, after she swallowed a stone. Him
died in June 1966, when he was hit by a car while chasing a squirrel
on the White House lawn. When the Johnson's left the White House,
Freckles was adopted by a White House staff member. |
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On December
7, 1963, the Johnson's began moving into the White House. Mrs. Johnson
recorded in her diary, "...the call came today to move, and Luci took
the two beagles, 'Him' and 'Her,' in her birthday convertible, and
I got in another car,.... I had our favorite picture of the Speaker,
Mr. Sam Rayburn, in my hand.... When we arrived, Mr. West [Chief White
House Usher] was waiting at the door for us and greeted Luci and me
and took us to the second floor."
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J.
Edgar:
After
Him died in 1966, J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation and a former neighbor of President Johnson's, gave
the President another beagle. The President named the dog J. Edgar,
but later dropped the "J." and called the dog Edgar. When Johnson
left the White House, Edgar moved to the LBJ Ranch. |
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President
Johnson with Blanco |
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Blanco:
Blanco was a white collie born on July 19, 1963,
and registered as Leader Blair Jamie of Edlen. He was given to President
and Mrs. Johnson in December 1963, a gift from a little girl in
Illinios. Before leaving the White House, President and Mrs. Johnson
gave Blanco to a doctor and his wife in Kentucky. Blanco died in
September 1974 of a heart attack. |
Yuki:
Yuki
was a mixed breed dog found by President Johnson's daughter, Luci
Nugent, at a gas station in Texas on Thanksgiving Day in 1966, while
on her way to the LBJ Ranch. Luci named the dog "Yuki" from "Yukimas,"
which means "snow" in Japanese. At first, Yuki lived with Luci,
but while visiting the White House, Yuki won the President's heart
and became his faithful companion. On the President's birthday,
August 27, 1967, Luci told her father that he could keep Yuki. When
President Johnson left office on January 20, 1969, Yuki returned
to LBJ Ranch with the President on Air Force One. After Johnson's
death in January 1973, Yuki went to live with Luci Johnson Nugent
and her family. Yuki died in 1979.
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President
Johnson "singing" with Yuki as the as U.S. Ambassador
to Great Britian, David K. E. Bruce, watches |
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Additional
Information:
Bryant, Traphes, with Frances Spatz Leighton, Dog Days at the
White House: The Outrageous Memoirs of the Presidential Kennel Keeper,
New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1975. Traphes Bryant's book contains
additional information and stories about President Johnson's dogs. |
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