Barney (dog)

{{Short description|Scottish Terrier, George W. Bush family pet}}

{{Infobox animal

| name = Barney

| image = Barney-20040908.jpg

| caption = Barney on the Presidential lectern

| birth_name = Bernard Bush

| othername =

| species = Dog

| breed = Scottish Terrier

| gender = Male

| birth_date = {{birth date|2000|09|30}}

| birth_place = New Jersey, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|02|01|2000|09|30}}

| death_place = Texas, U.S.

| death_cause = Euthanasia

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| relativeage =

| nationality = United States

| known = Pet of the First Family of the United States

| employer =

| role = Played self in
Barney Cam I (2002)
Barney Cam II: Barney Reloaded (2003)
Barney and Spot's Winter Wonderland (2003)
Barney Cam: Where in the White House is Miss Beazley? (2004)

| years_active =

| awards =

| title = First Dog of the United States

| term = January 20, 2001 — January 20, 2009

| predecessor = Buddy and Socks

| successor = Bo and Sunny

| owner = Bush family

| parents = Coors, dam
(of Pontefract; owned by Christine Todd Whitman)
Kelly, sire (of Champion Motherwell Stormwarning)[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/barney-bio.html Barneys Biography]. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved on June 12, 2014.

| children =

| weight =

| height =

| appearance = Black fur

| namedafter =

| website = [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/ Barney] (archived)

}}

Barney Bush[https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/02/01/george-w-bush-laura-bush-barney/1884813/ Barney Bush passes away]. Usatoday.com (February 1, 2013). Retrieved on June 12, 2014. (birth name Bernard Bush; September 30, 2000 – February 1, 2013){{cite web|title=Former First Dog Barney Bush passes away at age 12|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/former-first-dog-barney-bush-passes-away-at-age-12.html/|publisher=Dallas News|access-date=February 1, 2013|archive-date=May 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527215805/http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/former-first-dog-barney-bush-passes-away-at-age-12.html/|url-status=dead}} was a Scottish Terrier owned by former U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. Barney had his own official web page which redirected to an extension of the White House website. Barney was born in New Jersey and he was often referred to as the "First Dog".{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Family

Barney's mother, Coors, was owned by former Environmental Protection Agency Director and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. The dog's father is known as Kelly. Miss Beazley, the Bushes' other Scottish terrier, is Barney's niece through his half-brother, Clinton.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Interests

Image:Barney oval office.jpg.]]

Barney is said to have enjoyed playing with volleyballs and golf balls, and enjoyed observing games of horseshoes. There are various web sites across the Internet devoted to Barney. Most notably, he was the main star of the White House's annual Christmas videos during the Bush administration.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Barney was featured in several films that go by the name of Barneycam and are made by the White House Staff, and star both Barney himself and Miss Beazley, the other presidential canine. These movies can be found on the George W. Bush archived White House web site.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Media attention

Image:Bush-laura-barney.jpg]]

File:WhiteHousePets, ValentinesDay2007.jpg gives a "kiss" to India on Valentine's Day 2007]]

= Bob Woodward quotes Bush about Barney =

Barney was evoked in a famous Bush quote cited by Bob Woodward about the Iraq War in State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III ({{ISBN|0743272234}}) and repeated during a 60 Minutes interview:

{{blockquote|"Late last year he had key Republicans up to the White House to talk about the war. And said, 'I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me.' Barney is his dog," Woodward says. "My work on this leads to lots of people who spend hours, days with the president."[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bob-woodward-bush-misleads-on-iraq-28-09-2006/ Bob Woodward: Bush Misleads On Iraq] – CBS 60 Minutes – October 1, 2006}}

= Criticism by Karl Rove and Vladimir Putin =

White House official Karl Rove remarked shortly after his resignation that Barney was "a lump." Barney has also been criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin who feels a world leader should own large robust dogs, not smaller breeds such as the Scottish Terrier.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} At a later date, when Putin introduced Bush to Koni, his black labrador, Putin is reported to have remarked that Koni is "(b)igger, tougher, stronger, faster, meaner, than Barney."{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Ian |date=2008-01-06 |title=A doggone race |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/06/adoggonerace |access-date=2024-01-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

= Satires =

On November 27, 2006, Barney was featured in an article in satirical newspaper The Onion titled "Troop Morale Boosted By Surprise Visit From First Dog".{{Cite web |date=2010-02-19 |title=Troop Morale Boosted By Surprise Visit From First Dog {{!}} The Onion - America's Finest News Source |website=The Onion |url=http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55694|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219111211/http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55694 |archive-date=February 19, 2010 }} The article described a fictitious visit by Barney to troops in Iraq.

On December 14, 2006, The Daily Show satirized Barney's Holiday Extravaganza.{{Cite web |date=2008-04-06 |title=Barney's Holiday Extravaganza {{!}} The Daily Show {{!}} Comedy Central |url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=114250&title=barneys-holiday-extravaganza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406024659/http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=114250&title=barneys-holiday-extravaganza |archive-date=April 6, 2008 }}

Barney was, at one point, satirized in The Bugle.

On January 23, 2007, Scottie Tails posted a satire video of a Wheaten-colored terrier named Kenzie asking Barney to contact her about a date.{{Citation |title=Scottie Tails: My Date with Barney, the First Dog | date=January 23, 2007 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHyJH1yGKZY |access-date=2024-01-25 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Kenzie's "My Date with Barney, The First Dog" |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715000000*/http://mydatewithbarney.com/ |website=web.archive.org}}

In 2017 the German YouTube Channel RocketbeansTV started a tabletop role-playing game about animals preventing the 9/11 attacks. The final arc included a side quest kidnapping Barney from the White House to get media attention.

= Bites =

On November 6, 2008, Barney bit Reuters news reporter Jon Decker's finger.{{Cite web |last=Feller |first=Ben |date=2015-09-24 |title=Dog bites reporter: Is that news? |website=Fox News |url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov06/0,4670,BarneyBitesReporter,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110112642/http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov06/0,4670,BarneyBitesReporter,00.html |archive-date=November 10, 2011 }} Barney had bitten Boston Celtics public relations director Heather Walker on the wrist on September 19, 2008, breaking the skin and drawing blood, but the incident was not reported until after the November 4 elections. Laura Bush's spokesperson joked afterwards that "I think it was his way of saying he was done with the paparazzi."{{Cite web |date=2008-11-14 |title=Reporter wasn't White House dog's 1st bite victim |url=https://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20081114/reporter-wasnt-white-house-dogs-1st-bite-victim/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=Daily News |language=en-US}}

=Death and legacy=

File:Barney and MissBeazley statues.jpg at the George W. Bush Presidential Center]]

On February 1, 2013, Barney was euthanized due to lymphoma.{{cite web|title=A Friend in Washington| date=January 6, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_447jwyHp7Y |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/_447jwyHp7Y |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=YouTube|access-date=January 12, 2017}}{{cbignore}} He was survived by the Bushes' other Scottish Terrier, Miss Beazley, who later died in 2014.{{cite web|title=Barney Bush, W's dog, passes away|date=February 2013 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/barney-bush-ws-dog-passes-away-87085.html|publisher=Politico|access-date=February 1, 2013}}

Barney and Miss Beazley are honored with a bronze sculpture at the George W. Bush Library.{{cite news |url=http://www.news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/laura-bush-library-not-monument-her-husband-182824927--politics.html |title=Laura Bush: New library is not 'a monument' to her husband |first1=Holly |last1=Bailey |publisher=Yahoo News |date=April 24, 2013 |access-date=April 24, 2013}} A bronze Barney also appears in the arms of Bush's statue in Rapid City, South Dakota's "City of Presidents" public art installation of presidential statues.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-07 |title=George W. Bush {{!}} VisitRapidCity.com |url=https://www.visitrapidcity.com/things-to-do/all-things/attractions/city-presidents/george-w-bush|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707041301/https://www.visitrapidcity.com/things-to-do/all-things/attractions/city-presidents/george-w-bush |archive-date=July 7, 2021 }}

=Filmography=

Barney has starred in eleven government film productions. His last, Barney Cam VII: A Red, White and Blue Christmas, is a 2008 Christmas video featuring George W. Bush and members of his immediate family, and many American Olympians.{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/barneycam2008.wm.v.html |title=Barneys Home Page |access-date=December 31, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090211183501/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/barneycam2008.wm.v.html| archive-date= February 11, 2009 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov | url-status= live}} In it, he dreams of winning several honors for the United States before being woken up by President Bush, who needs Barney's help in preparing for Christmas.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Barney's feature videos:

{{Columns-list|

Barney Cam VII: A Red, White and Blue Christmas (2008)
Barney Cam VI: Holiday in the National Parks (2007){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
My Barney Valentine (2007){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney's Holiday Extravaganza (2006){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
A Very Beazley Christmas (2005){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney and Miss Beazley's Spring Garden Tour (2005){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney has found Miss Beazley (2005){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Where in the White House is Miss Beazley? (2004){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney Reloaded (2003){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney and Spot's Winter Wonderland (2003){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Barney Cam (2002){{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

}}

References

External links

[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/barney/ Barney's official site] — archived copy of George W. Bush White House site

{{s-ttl|title=White House pet dog|years=January 20, 2001–January 20, 2009|alongside=Miss Beazley
{{small|(Since January 6, 2005)}} and Spot "Spotty" Fetcher}}