Rutherford B. Hayes was elected 19th President of the United States in a unique fashion – via compromise. Indeed, the name given to the event leading to his election is ‘The Compromise of 1877’, wherein the Democrats accepted Hayes as President provided that he immediately work to pull United States federal troops out of the Southern states.
Hayes may have taken a unique path to the Presidency, but one characteristic about him was very similar to other Presidents, and that was his love of animals. He and his wife Lucy had many pets throughout their lifetimes, including a Cocker Spaniel named Dot.
Like her canine siblings, not much is known about Dot. With photography itself having just been invented in 1839, there are few photos of the family let alone of the pets. With the Hayes being the animal lovers that they were however, it is likely that Dot lived a happy life as part of the Presidential family.
