Species Canis lupus familiaris Nation from United States Breed Labrador Retriever | Sex Male Years active 1997–2002 Owner Bill Clinton | |
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Born August 7, 1997
Denton, Maryland, U.S. ( 1997-08-07 ) Occupation First Dog of the United States Known for Being the pet of the First Family of the United States Died 2 January 2002, Chappaqua, New Castle, New York, United States | ||
Buddy (August 7, 1997 – January 2, 2002), a male chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever, was one of two pets kept by the Clinton family while Bill Clinton was President of the United States. The Clintons' other pet was a cat named Socks.
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Life
Clinton acquired Buddy as a three-month-old puppy from Caroline County, Maryland in December 1997. He named him after his late great-uncle, Henry Oren "Buddy" Grisham, who had died the previous June and whom Clinton often cited as a major influence on his life. Socks did not get along with the frisky Buddy, so the White House had to keep the two in separate quarters. Since this arrangement would be no longer possible in the Clintons' smaller home in New York, Socks was left under the care of Bill Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie.
Death
According to the police report, Buddy was killed by a car while "playfully chasing a contractor" who had left the Clinton home in Chappaqua, New York, on January 2, 2002. The Clintons were not home at the time of the accident; their home was being watched by Secret Service agents. The agents rushed Buddy to an animal hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In 2005, Clinton acquired another chocolate Lab whom he named "Seamus".