Barney Bush, beloved former first dog, dies at age 12



After first lady Laura Bush, he was the most widely liked member of the first family. He was a diplomatic dog, wowing heads of state and heads of Congress. He did bite a reporter once. He had good taste.

Barney became famous in the early days of social media as the star of “Barney Cam” of YouTube. He was the unofficial director of White House holiday tours. And he was a regular visitor to the White House lawns, usually being followed by armed Secret Service agents.

As CBS Radio’s Mark Knoller points out, “President Bush would often call Barney ‘the son I never had.'”

Here is the official statement released by former President George W. Bush:




Richard Dunham