WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump isn’t hiding the fact that he isn’t a dog person.
While he appeared impressed when describing the drug-detecting abilities of German shepherds that work for the U.S. Secret Service, he made it clear that he can get by in his daily life without the slobbery canine companionship welcomed by most of his presidential predecessors.
At a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, on Monday night, Trump said he would “feel a little phony” walking a dog on the White House lawn. Plus, he says he just doesn’t have time for a dog.
Trump doesn’t have any pets.
That puts him at a marked contrast from most of America — and most previous presidents.
Trump is the first president since William McKinley not to have a dog in the White House, according to the website White House pets. And McKinley had a parrot, angora kittens and roosters in the White House when he lived there.
The American Veterinary Medical Association says nearly 57 percent of U.S. households owned a pet at the end of 2016. Nearly 40 percent of households owned one or more dogs.
