Meet Davie: The Airedale Who Started a White House Streak

Here's a piece of Airedale history almost nobody knows.

For three presidents in a row, the dog strutting around the White House was an Airedale Terrier. And the one who started it all? He left almost no trace.

His name was Davie.

Davie belonged to Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president, and he holds a funny little spot in history. He was so well-behaved that he was practically invisible. While later White House Airedales made headlines for chair-sitting and ankle-biting, Davie just quietly did his job.

He was so low-key that some historians later questioned whether Wilson kept dogs at the White House at all — until a 1916 photo settled it. There he was. An Airedale, proud of it.

A streak like that doesn't happen by accident. Wilson had Davie. Harding had Laddie Boy. Coolidge had Paul Pry. Three presidents, back to back, all falling for the same breed. People saw these dogs, fell hard for them, and wanted one of their own. Which I understand completely. 💁‍♀️

President Wilson was a genuine dog lover — the kind who never really gets over his first one. As a boy he had a greyhound named Mountain Boy, and he doodled that dog in the margins of his schoolbooks. Which goes to show that some habits never leave you. Fifty years into my own life with this breed, I still catch myself photographing Airedales when I should be paying attention to something else.

I told Fleetwood that an Airedale started a presidential trend a hundred years ago. He took the news exactly the way you'd expect. Being wildly popular is simply the norm for him, and he sees no reason a dog of his caliber shouldn't be setting trends of his own. We're working on his humility — but he insists he is the star in every room.

Erwitt, on the other hand, doesn't need the spotlight. He prefers to work his perimeter and love his mom. Honestly, he's the Davie of my house. The quiet one who does the job and lets the loud one take the headlines. Every pack needs one of each.

That thread runs from Davie, to my pack, to yours. People don't fall for Airedales because of a pedigree or a show ribbon. They fall for them because of who these dogs are — their personality, their loyalty, the way one of them looks you dead in the face and makes you feel like the most important person in the room. That's what hooked three presidents, and it's what hooked me five decades ago with Kandy.

It's also why Happy Aire exists. Everything I make comes back to one Airedale named Grover, and to the dogs who make us better just by being themselves.

Next Friday I'll be introducing Laddie Boy's troublemaking half-brother, so stay tuned. 😉

Until then — give your dog an extra minute today. Davie would approve.

— Kim Opdyke 💗