On September 23, 1944:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), campaigning for a fourth term during World War II, derisively defended Fala, his black Scottie dog, against a Republican political attack.
In a speech to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, FDR addressed accusations that he had mistakenly left his beloved terrier behind during a visit to the Aleutian Islands in 1943, after their recapture from the Japanese. Opponents alleged that FDR had dispatched a destroyer to bring the dog back.
Amid laughter, the president said:
“These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala.”
The Scottish Terrier and Dog News is glad to see that there have not been any vicious dog attacks (by which we mean attacks on candidates’ dogs) in this election.
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