You Must Read George H.W. Bush’s Hilariously Sweet Presidential Memo About His Overweight Dog
When you think about sending and receiving memos from a sitting president of the United States, you’d probably assume it’s a note of utmost importance for the good of the nation. At one point during George H.W. Bush’s term, however, he sent a stern (but mostly silly) message to his staff about his dog, Ranger.
Ranger was one of the English springer spaniel puppies from the family dog, Millie. Bush originally gifted the pooch to his granddaughter, Marshall Bush, but Ranger returned to the White House to have more room to roam. According to First Lady Barbara Bush, the dog shared a strong and special bond with her husband. She even admitted that the pair had showered together on at least one occasion!
Ranger loved to roam throughout the White House (even where all the work was being done), and Barbara also remembered how well Ranger’s charm worked on the rest of the White House staff. “Ranger made so many friends that we suddenly noticed that he was growing by leaps and bounds,” she explained. “Out, not up — and George had to send out a memo requesting people not feed Ranger.”
That’s right, Bush sent an official presidential memo to light-heartedly scold his staff about overfeeding his pooch. The Twitter page Letters of Note shared the hilarious and heartwarming note this week in honor of International Dog Day. Take a look:
George Bush Sr's dog got so fat in 1992 that he (Bush) sent this memo to all White House staff.#InternationalDogDay pic.twitter.com/W70Ld4o2xT
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) August 26, 2019
For those who need a little help with the fine print and a good chuckle, here’s a transcript of the memo:
“This is an all-points bulletin from the President.
Subject: My Dog ‘Ranger’
Recently Ranger was put on a weight-reduction program. Either that program succeeds or we enter Ranger in the Houston Fat Stock Show as Prime Hereford.
All offices should take a formal ‘pledge’ that reads as follows: ‘We agree not to feed Ranger. We will not give him biscuits. We will not give him food of any kind.’
In addition, Ranger’s ‘access’ is hereby restricted. He has been told not to wander the corridors without an escort. This applies to the East and West Wings, to the Residence from the 3rd floor to the very, very bottom basement.
Although Ranger will still be permitted to roam at Camp David, the Camp David staff including the Marines, Naval personnel, All Civilians and Kids are specifically instructed to “rat” on anyone seen feeding Ranger.
Ranger has been asked to wear a ‘Do not feed me’ badge in addition to his ID.
I will, of course, report on Ranger’s fight against obesity. Right now, he looks like a blimp, a nice friendly appealing blimp, but a blimp.
We Need Your Help — All hands, please help.
From the President.”
We imagine there’s a good amount of pledges involved in working for the president, but vowing not to feed their adorable dog is definitely one we’d never see coming. And he even got the kids involved, asking them to tattle on anyone they saw sneaking snacks to Ranger! Bush was clearly determined to get his beloved “blimp” in tip-top shape again, but we’re sure he made more than a few staff members giggle along the way — we know we did!
Hey, whether we’re a high-ranking politician or regular civilian, we all want what’s best for our fur babies, and to give people a good laugh!
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