AP: Police rule Buddy's death an "accident"

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[ambrose]

Buddy,' the Clintons' Dog, Dies

By JIM FITZGERALD
Associated Press Writer

January 3, 2002, 3:37 AM EST

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. -- Former President Clinton's dog Buddy, the frisky retriever who unhappily shared the White House with Socks the cat, was killed by a car outside the Clinton home.

The 4-year-old chocolate Labrador ran from the home in Chappaqua on Wednesday afternoon, "playfully chasing a contractor who had just left the residence," said Lt. Charles Ferry of the New Castle police.

Buddy was hit by a car on a busy two-lane road at the bottom of the Clintons' cul-de-sac and was pronounced dead at an animal hospital.

Ferry said the death was "strictly an accident."

Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, were not home at the time, said spokeswoman Julia Payne. They issued a statement saying Buddy "was a loyal companion and brought us much joy. He will truly be missed."

The Clintons were given Buddy as a puppy in 1997, just weeks before the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. The dog was named after the president's great-uncle, who had died earlier that year.

"If you want a friend in Washington, you need to get a dog," Clinton said, quoting President Truman.

Buddy became one of the most photographed pets in the nation, often seen playing on the White House lawn or bounding into a helicopter headed for Camp David.

He had a famously uneasy relationship with Socks, who was already ensconced in the White House when Buddy arrived. Although Mrs. Clinton expressed confidence for "a peaceful reconciliation during the holiday season" in 1997, their dislike was apparent.

Buddy, on a leash, once approached Socks on the White House lawn and began barking; Socks bristled and stood his ground. The president called it "making progress."

Buddy was neutered in 1998 in an operation that was comic fodder on late-night television. David Letterman wisecracked: "President Clinton's pretty busy. He had Buddy the White House dog neutered. ... So, Socks is neutered, Buddy is neutered, and so I'm thinking, two down, one to go."

The first lady put together a book called "Dear Socks, Dear Buddy" by gathering letters from children to the two pets. ("Did you ever get petted by the Spice Girls?" was one question.)

In the end, Buddy was the apparent victor in the rivalry for the Clintons' affections. When they decided they could take only one pet with them when they left the White House, Socks went to live with Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie, in suburban Virginia. Buddy accompanied the president on the farewell flight from Washington to New York, roaming the aisles of the jetliner.

In his first days in Chappaqua, Buddy served as an early-warning system to reporters that Clinton was coming out for a walk. Buddy would emerge from the home unaccompanied, a rubber ball in his mouth, which often meant the former president was behind him.

Once, when playing fetch with Clinton and a rubber ball, Buddy became entangled in the ex-president's legs and knocked him down in full view of the cameras.

"You guys got a good shot," Clinton said. "That's the first time he's knocked me down in all the time we've been together."

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

[SunnyUsa]

"Buddy knew too much, and just had to go.

if he only a blue dress to save!

............ ROFL everytime I read this story !

[45Auto]

The dog was, sadly, the only denizen of the Clinton Whitehouse to have any honor.

[Askel5]

Although Mrs. Clinton expressed confidence for "a peaceful reconciliation during the holiday season" in 1997, their dislike was apparent.

She evidently meets with the same success transforming animal natures as she does human nature.

We're not interested in social reconstruction;
it's human reconstruction.

-- Hillary D. Rodham (1969 Wellesley Commencement Speech)

THE NEW MAN: On Fake DNA Day

[NativeNewYorker]

Accroding to this map...

...and my local source, the Clintons' house is more than a hundred yards away from where Buddy died (they're at the end of Old House). Buddy's running loose that distance is clealy a violation of the local leash law, not to mention common sense.

Hello PETA!

[steveo]

..death an "accident"

Probably just a DWM (driving while moose). In a hurry to the Chappaqua cheese shoppe no doubt.

[gracie1]

A few months ago, I heard something about the Clintons being criticized by PETA because they were going to intstall an electric fence type device, you know, the kind where the dog wears a collar that gives a mild shock when he wanders out of the yard. They said it was cruel. Not as cruel though, as getting hit by a car.

[Harrison Bergeron]

OK, what did the dog know, and when did he know it? Were reports of "depression" floated by Clinton press agents?

[alcuin]

That's as lame as it gets.

Pessimist.

[Palladin]

This is a very significant event. It portends a change of luck for the Clintons. 2002 will be a bad year for them. (My prognostication).

Buddy, RIP. When you cross the Rainbow Bridge, give our regards to Falla -- and pee on Eleanor's leg!

[lonestar]

Another Clinton pawn dies after outliving his usefulness. Big surprise.

I always felt sorry for Buddy. He deserved better. Probably bonded more with SS agents than Bill, which is the only thing Buddy had going for him in his short life.

[Shermy]

Just the first step to world domination! Bwa Ha Ha Ha Meow!

[Azzurri]

What took them so long? The Clinton Justice Department used to declare an accident or suicide before the body was even cold. They are getting sloppy.

[leadpenny]

Buddy is dead?
I just got back on line after being gone all day.
Thought that whole "Buddy is Dead" thing we went through this AM was a bad dream. . . . {:-(

[mrsmith]

Buddy's last words: "Charles Ruff"!

Was it a terrible secret that he and former Clinton lawyer Charles Ruff shared that haunted Buddy to his grave?

[habs4ever]

Glad to know that foul play was ruled out ;-)

[VRWCmember]

"Did you ever get petted by the Spice Girls?" was one question.

Buddy and Socks deferred the question to president bill, who replied "Well, I guess that depends on the definition of petted and if you mean all of them at the same time or just three of them on different occasions; oops, I guess I should just say 'No.'"

[mystery-ak]

He was too good for the x42, a good looking dog(Im talking about Buddy).

Poor Buddy!

[GuillermoX]

"That's the first time he's knocked me down in all the time we've been together."

Probably a lie. If it were the truth, he wouldn't have even mentioned it. This guy has to lie about the dumbest things.

[pabianice]

Police on the scene were overheard to wonder how Buddy's body had "fallen up hill." Also being investigated was the pistol lying near Buddy's paw. "How the heck could he pull the trigger with no fingers?" mused one detective. Also considered suspicious: no grass on Buddy's feet.