George Washington, the first President of the US, had a fondness for dogs and a creativeness in naming them.
George Washington is widely known as the father of the American foxhound. He had a fondness to all dogs from working dogs to lap dogs but hunting hounds were his passion.
Washington was an avid fox hunter. To create a new and better breed of hound, he spent several years crossbreeding his English hounds with his French hounds, leading to the American foxhound. He kept his hounds in a kennel close to his house where a creek ran through for the dogs to drink from, and everyday he would personally check on the dogs and visit with them.
Other dogs Washington owned included dalmatians, spaniels, terriers, sheepdogs and Newfoundlands. He was creative in naming his dogs, with names like Countess, Dutchess, Sweet Lips, Truelove, Tipsy, Tipler, Drunkard, Mopsey, Madame Moose, Venus and Vulcan.
Vulcan, one of his French hounds, was quite a character. He is described in Mount Vernon documents as being "so big a young boy could ride him like a pony, with powerful jaws and an insatiable appetite." One story says Vulcan went into the kitchen one day, sunk his teeth into a savory ham and ran off with it after the kitchen staff tried desperately to retrieve it. The lady of the mansion was not amused, but Washington "having heard the story, communicated it to his guests, and, with them, laughed heartily at the exploit of the stag-hound."
