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We are not the only ones who turn to our dogs for comfort in stressful times. Author and dog lover Kathleen Kinsolving strongly believes that Franklin D. Roosevelt and his generals, George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower, would not have survived World War II without their furry best friends, according to ABC News.
Kinsolving's book, "Dogs of War," tells the stories of these men of power and the special bond they had with their faithful canines. Many studies have proven that dogs can reduce stress, blood pressure and anxiety. For this reason, it makes sense that dogs would do the same for these men waging war. Kinsolving wanted to pay homage to the dogs who had meaningful roles during WWII.
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Fala, Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish Terrier, and the president were two peas in a pod. She went everywhere with him, even press conferences and cocktail hours. Fala would join the war effort as a member of "Barkers for Britain," which was a club started by dog owners to help raise money for bombing victims.
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Fala was also part of her own White House controversy. Republicans accused her of being mistakenly left behind in the Aleutians, which costed taxpayers millions of dollars for a destroyer that was sent back to rescue him. Roosevelt angrily denied the false accusations. Fala is buried at the foot of FDR's grave and also has a statue by FDR at his memorial in Washington.
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General Eisenhower received Telek, a Scottish Terrier, for his birthday in 1942. Although he was good at molding men into soldiers, he was not the best dog trainer. It was said that Telek was never truly house trained and left his mark all over the place. He was a faithful dog, however. Kinsolving says he once growled at the Nazis when they visited Eisenhower’s headquarters in France to sign the papers of surrender.
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General Patton was just as loyal to his Bull Terrier, Willie. Willie followed Patton everywhere he went and would attack anyone he thought was threatening his owner.
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Dogs have also played a vital role in other presidents' and wannabe-presidents' lives and political campaigns. From Nixon's famous "Checkers" speech to recent Republican nominee Mitt Romney's infamous drive with Seamus (pictured here), political pooches often nose their way into the spotlight.
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Next: SOLDIER DOG PICTURES
Although Obama stated that one dog was enough during his victory speech, Kinsolving hopes that the president will reconsider and get another dog for his second term. However, we're unsure whether Bo is willing to share the White House with any other canine!
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