WASHINGTON - Word of warning to President-Elect Barack Obama, you probably don’t want to pet First Dog Barney when you visit the White House on Monday.
President George W. Bush’s Scottish Terrier was not feeling too friendly on Thursday when a reporter tried to say hello and pet him on the White House driveway.
Barney snarled and chomped down on Reuters Television correspondent Jon Decker’s index finger, causing some minor bleeding. White House medical staff attended to Decker’s injury and he will require a tetanus shot.
Below is the video courtesy of April Ryan, the White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, and we’ll hopefully have a first-person account a little bit later. (Watch to the end of the video for a close-up shot of the incident.)
Obama is in the market for a pooch to keep a promise he made to his daughters to get a dog. But it looks like they’re aiming for a different breed. However, when Obama visits Bush on Monday at the White House, maybe he will ask if he can keep Barney around after Jan. 20 to fend off pesky reporters.
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It’s a fake, this is not the real Barney ! Barney is such a sweetie he would never do that, unless the reporter is a democrat, but there is no such a thing.
- Posted by LauraThis dog also bit the PR Director of the Boston Celtics in September.
If this was a common man’s dog, it would probably have to be put down.
- Posted by Mike Green*sigh* another dog bites man story…
Seriously though. The reporter is an idiot. If a dog doesn’t seem interested in meeting you it is never a good idea to try to force the issue, especially with terrier breeds.
- Posted by bcbYou should never bring your hand down at a dog to touch it on the top of it’s head. You would not like someone pounding on the top of your head, would you? And, shaking the papers in the dog’s face was not exactly nice, either. Barney did nothing out of the normal. Bad reporter. You were rude.
- Posted by PattiA stranger, who the dog sensed was antagonistic towards his master, suddenly extends a hand to do what? Small wonder he got bit! Give credit to the dog for being a good judge of character and forgive him for his instinct to protect himself and the people he loves!
- Posted by John WestraI think that the manner in which the reporter approached Barney (kneeling quickly, shoving the right hand at the dog with the left hand holding papers that may have looked like a menacing object) all show that this reporter has little knowledge of how to approach a dog unknown to him. I think Barney was definitely within his rights to protect himself against this intrusion on his personal space.
- Posted by William SchaffnerSorry, but I think you had it coming - you did appear to take the dog by surprise, and what was it supposed to do ?
I hope your finger heals up, but we all have to remember that dogs are a close relative of the wolf, which is why Mr and Mrs Obama will have to choose the next White House pooch carefully.
Dogs and children can get along wonderfully, but at the end of the day, if a dog is provoked, it will bite and there is little point blaming them for following their instincts..
- Posted by Bedd Gelert[...] était temps qu’on ait un nouveau chien à la Maison-Blanche. Jeudi, Barney, le chien des Bush a mordu un journaliste de Reuters. Il n’avait pas dû digérer les résultats des [...]
- Posted by Barney, le chien des Bush, mord un journaliste | Herald de ParisBarney, Barney, Barney
- Posted by DanBad reporter, Bad reporter, Bad reporter
Doesn’t this story flunk the most basic, Journalism 101 test of newsworthiness? …. If the reporter bites the dog then you have a story.
- Posted by Willie