BUSHY BARNEY

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In The News
(June-November 2002)

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He's the One: "...the Republicans' gains probably had more to do with a certain inarticulate, but gutsy, little fellow who resides in the White House. I'm not talking about the President, mind you, but rather his faithful dog Barney. Yes, Barney Bush (a.k.a. Bush the Furry) may stay behind the scenes most of the time, but reading between the lines of the Presidents' words and deeds, it becomes clear that Scottish terrier Barney is the one who keeps things humming along smoothly in the current administration."-- American Enterprise Online commentator Marin Soupcoff, explaining the real reason behind the outcome of the midterm elections, 11/25/02

Pardon Me: "I wish my dog, Barney, was here. But I'm afraid Barney would have met his match with that turkey. So we kept him inside."--President Bush, speaking at the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony, 11/26/02

Holiday Stars: "First Lady Laura Bush announced Wednesday that holiday decorations at the White House will celebrate the pets who have lived in the executive mansion over the years...'Our pets have been such a source of comfort and entertainment to us,' Mrs. Bush said in a written statement released while she was in Europe with the president. 'This holiday season I thought it would be fun and interesting to learn about the animals that belonged to other presidents over the years, and there are some very interesting ones.' Of course, the Bush pets -- dogs Barney and Spot, and cat India -- will be featured..."-- AP, 11/21/02

Was He Wearing a Seat Belt?: "After my interview with President Bush the morning of Aug. 20, the president offered a tour of his ranch. We walked outside, and he climbed behind the wheel of his pickup truck and motioned me toward the passenger side. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice and a female Secret Service agent squeezed into the cramped passenger back seat. Barney, his Scottie dog, parked himself between us in the front and was soon in his master's lap."--Bob Woodward, in The Washington Post, 11/19/02

Barking Mad: "Our dogs, Barney and Spot and our cat India also feel very much at home in the White House. In fact, they are the only residents who make no distinction between the West and East Wings. Spot, an English Springer spaniel was born in the White House to Millie, Barbara Bush's dog.

"Spot is the only presidential pet known to have lived in the White House during two administrations. Barney, our Scottish terrier, was a birthday gift to me from the President. Our cat, India, also known as Willie, has been our family pet for more than ten years.

"Every morning, the President walks the dogs on his way to work. The dogs spend time playing in the garden and then Spot retires to the Oval Office for her morning nap. Later, she joins Barney for an adventure along a well worn path from the West Wing to the East Wing. First stop is the medical unit for treats. Then to the Social Office in the East Wing, which has the best treats of all -- and finally next door to the Military office, where Barney barks like mad at the electric shoe polisher. Spot and Barney particularly enjoy their trek during the holidays. They not only get treats, but toys as well," -- First Lady Laura Bush, speaking during a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the West Wing, (the place, not the TV show), 11/13/02

And the Answer is...: "On November 6 Barney was a question on Jeopardy. It said the following: Barney, President George W. Bush's Scottish terrier was given to him by a former governor, now EPA director. The answer was Christie Todd Whitman. Barney is also on HBO.com as a poll question. Who would you rather go on a trip with? George W. Bush, Ozzy Osbourne, Madeline Albright, or Barney, the White House dog."--An e-mail report sent by Bushy Barney reader 'BNW', 11/9/02

Forgetting Barney?: "Over the months, Mr. Bush has also dropped some once-cherished lines and verbal tics. He no longer makes references to his dogs, Barney and Spot, for example, and he has cut back on his excessive use of 'fabulous' to describe everything from his wife to the American military."--The New York Times, 11/4/02

One Woof to Another: With a little help from First Lady Laura Bush, Barney and Spot have sent a "good girl" letter to Samantha the golden retriever, The Modesto Bee reports. Samantha, who is specially trained, works at the Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, befriending residents there. After learning of her good work, Mrs. Bush sent a letter praising Samantha and her owner, center activities director Marcia Carota. In the letter, Spot and Barney "send a big WOOF," the Bee reports.--BB, 8/14/02

Playing Hard to Get: "Only Barney, the president's Scottish terrier, seemed uninterested in the getaway; he scampered off across the tarmac of Andrews Air Force Base, headed back toward the passenger terminal. Bush and his wife, Laura, chased after the pup."-- AP, reporting on the Bushes' departure for the First Family reunion weekend in Maine, 7/5/02

First Things First: "After an examination at 8:30 a.m. to determine if Bush had recovered sufficiently from the anesthesia, Bush got up, played with his dogs Barney and Spot, ate waffles and then signed the papers resuming power."--Reuters, reporting on the president's colonoscopy, 6/29/02 (Barney, nearly hidden, is second from left in Camp David photo; click to see photo.)

Presidential Priorities: "Mr. Bush has begun to talk so much about his dogs and their idiosyncrasies lately that they have become a regular part of his political patter around the country. Jenna and Barbara are never mentioned, but Spot and Barney get whole paragraphs of reverie. Recent listeners to Mr. Bush might be excused for thinking that the president had no daughters at all, only dogs."-- The New York Times, 6/24/02

Just Rat for the Ranch: Barney and Spot "always accompany the president and his wife, Laura, to their 1,600-acre spread in Crawford, Tex., where experts say the dog of choice on a typical working ranch is a Border collie or an Australian shepherd, both of which are suited for rounding up cattle. Terriers like Barney are more traditionally farm dogs. 'If they were going back to their historical roots, they might actually go to the president's barn and catch rats,' said Laurie Telfair, a founder of the North Central Texas Herding Dog Association."-- The New York Times, 6/24/02

He Calls Him Dad: EPA Administrator "Christie Todd Whitman... made a really good suggestion for our family, right before the end of the campaign, in 2000. She suggested that I buy Laura a birthday present. It's a pretty good suggestion, actually. (Laughter.) I had forgotten. (Laughter.) And it turned out that the gift was Barney, the Scottish Terrier. Little Barney is a fabulous little guy. He's the son I never had. (Laughter.)"--President Bush at a political fund-raiser in Kansas City, 6/11/02

He's Too Busy for Interviews: "The door to the White House library swings open and Laura Bush beckons me inside. 'That's Spot,' she says, pointing to the springer spaniel at her heels, as she sits down on the edge of a cane settee. In a light Texan drawl, she apologises for the absence of her other dog, a Scottish terrier. 'The last I saw, he was asleep upstairs. Spotty follows me around a lot more than Barney. Barney's got a lot of friends, but Spot likes to hang out with me."--UK Telegraph, 6/6/02

Working Out?: "The family's doing well. Barney, the dog, is in great shape. (Laughter.) Spot, the dog, who was born at the White House when Mother and Dad were there, is getting a little up in the years, but she's doing well, too."--President Bush, in a speech at the Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock, Ark., 6/3/02