Is That a Bone In Your Pocket?

Whatever happened to Bill Clinton's dog? You remember, the one that was purchased to divert us from the stain on Monica Lewinsky's blue dress?

Perhaps you forgot the dog? Ah, well you shouldn't.

His name was Buddy, and he was a great dog who satisfied Clinton's need for constant affirmation and who did not care too much if Bill Clinton was telling the truth so long as he had a ball and perhaps a piece of food. Dogs are great that way.

Rumors are that Buddy was picked by a focus group of advisers who chose a Labrador because that breed was the most common family dog in America. Supposedly, a yellow lab was ruled out because it was a little too photogenic and might be competition in a photo shoot, while a black lab was considered too hard to photograph without it looking like a lump. Whatever the truth, one thing is certain: a chocolate lab was selected as the "Clinton family dog."

So whatever happened to the dog? Buddy was struck by a car and killed near the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, New York when he was four years old. The family's previous dog, a Cocker Spaniel named Zeke, was also run over and killed by a car when Mr. Clinton was Governor of Arkansas.

The Clinton's have since gotten another chocolate lab named Seamus, who is reportedly in fine fettle, though he does not see too much of either Mr. or Mrs. Clinton.
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