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If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. –President Harry S Truman

It’s been a big news week, with major stories breaking featuring everything from a dramatic rescue on the high seas to the future of the economy. The biggest story of all may have been…the Obamas’ new dog. Bo, a six month-old Portuguese Water Dog, made his debut at the White House as our 44th president made good on a promise he proclaimed on election night: that he would get a dog for his daughters. The press corps here and abroad has, uh, hounded the president ever since for updates on his dog search.

Bo is just the latest of a long line of First Dogs to move into the White House. And, in fact, there have been many unusual pets owned by presidents and their families. Socks the cat moved in with the Clintons in 1992; our seventh president, John Quincy Adams, had an alligator that he kept in one of the White House bath tubs. Teddy Roosevelt practically had a petting zoo, everything from kangaroo rats to Josiah the badger—given to him as a gift from a Kansas farm girl.

But it’s the dogs that seem to capture our imagination. George Washington was an avid breeder of fox hounds, though they lived at the Washington home in Mt. Vernon, Virginia and not with our first president in New York and Philadelphia. Thanks to my friend Robert Schlesinger at U.S. News & World Report, I found a page on the White House web site with brief biographies of White House dogs starting with Teddy Roosevelt’s three-legged mutt Skip, adopted during a hunting trip in Colorado. There are too many stories to go into; a couple of my favorites were the fact that Warren G. Harding’s dog Laddie hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll in 1923 when the President and First Lady were away. In his diary, Ronald Reagan often remarked that he and his beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Rex, were lonely when Nancy Reagan was out of town. And who could forget the moment late last year when George W. Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney, snapped at a reporter. Given the state of journalism these days, I find myself entirely on Barney’s side on that one.

Perhaps the most famous presidential dog never lived in the White House. Shortly after his nomination to be Dwight Eisenhower’s running mate, Richard Nixon found himself in danger of being kicked off the ticket for taking gifts from political contributors. In a nationally televised speech, Nixon denied wrong-doing and claimed the only gift he’d ever received was a cocker spaniel named Checkers, a dog his kids loved so much he couldn’t give back. The “Checkers speech” saved Nixon’s political career and made it possible for Nixon to eventually become president. Checkers had passed away by then, but Nixon was accompanied by his Irish setter, King Timahoe and his daughter Trish’s Yorkie, Pasha.

For more on White House dogs starting from TR to Obama, go to http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_press/press_archives/whha_info-topdogs.pdf.

Cedar is a sweet mutt who used to be mine. We found him as a puppy near Lake Travis and knew he was starving. We brought him home and he made sure to never go hungry again.

Four or five years into his life, my best friend was visiting from out of town. She was going through some very troubled times and needed some comfort. She found that comfort in Cedar. She threatened to take my dog home. I told her not to threaten me. I had five dogs and would be fine with only four! As the weekend progressed, I knew what I wanted to do.

I told her to take Cedar home. If things didn’t work out, she could always bring him back. I was sure he’d only be gone a few weeks. But weeks turned into months, and every time I spoke to my friend she told me how happy Cedar made her and how much he was loved by her kiddos. Cedar didn’t have to share any of the resources with any other dogs. Everyone’s love was all for him. It was a match made in Heaven.

Years later, Cedar continues to serve his purpose. He is companion, protector, school crossing guard, exercising buddy, and unconditional lover of his new family. When I get the opportunity to see with him, he’s so happy that I’m just another visitor to him. He loves us, but he has a new forever home. And he’s still making my friend’s life better every day. Cedar the superhero dog strikes again! What a gift he is to all of us.

Easter is just around the corner. The kennel is almost full, the staff is geared up and ready for the extra boarders, and my shopping list includes lots of chocolate and eggs.

Rebel here just loves to eat things he shouldn’t. Cheez-it’s, Phazyme, buckets and bins of whatever he can find. Rebel reminds me that I have to be extra careful this holiday to keep the chocolates out of reach. He doesn’t seem to know how dangerous they are for him. So, just for the record, please remember this:

Eggs - okay! Shell and all for hardboiled eggs, use natural dyes if at all possible.

Chocolate - NO! The darker it is, the more dangerous it is.

Candy - Not a good idea. May not be as dangerous as chocolate, but could still cause upset stomach and mess up your carpet…

Stay safe everybody, and have a hip hoppity Happy Easter!