evidence: All the Presidents’ Pooches "If you want a friend in Washington," Harry Truman once said, "get a dog." Indeed, from George Washington, who bred foxhounds (and who returned British general Howe's dog, a POW, under a flag of truce), to George Bush, whose spaniel Millie's book outsold his own autobiography, our harried chief executives have found friendship and solace in dogs. The story of these Presidential companions is told in a new book, First Dogs, by Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis, published this month by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. The cast of characters includes every breed from wolfhounds to beagles, Airedales to poodles, plus a generous helping of affectionate mutts.