Barney is Dead at Age 12

Barney, George W. Bush's Scottish Terrier, is dead at age 12, after a battle with lymphoma.  

Throughout his life, he was more popular than his owner, and that fact has remained true into death.

Very much like George W. Bush's economic and foreign policies, Scottie health can be thought of as a veritable basket case.

• This is a breed in which 45 percent of all dogs die of cancer.


• This is a small breed dog where the average lifespan of the dog is just 10.15 years -- not the 15 years it should be.


• This is a breed where a person buying a professionally-bred Scottish Terrier is twice as likely to have that well-bred dog die at two years of age as they are to have that Scottie live to age 16.


• This is a breed where AKC show breeders have demonstrably less healthy dogs. As Joesph Harvill, editor of Great Scots Magazine notes, professionally bred Scotties are more expensive than casually-bred dogs, but they are not healthier. He concludes that "The empirical evidence indicates that the best shot — even if a long shot — at a long-lived Scottie is from a non-professional breeder."


• This is a breed in which the health of the dog is in rapid decline. When Joseph Harvill, the editor of Great Scots Magazine compared health survey results between 1995 and 2005, he found "an alarming trend" that "may signal the rapid declension in a gene pool which can happen when inbreeding depression reaches critical mass in a small, closed population."


• This is a breed where owners spent an average of $492 per dog per year on medical bills — and 12.9% spent between $1,000-$5,000 per dog per year.

The good news for Barney is that he was born into a "silver spoon" house, where hot- and cold-running veterinary care was available and no expense was unreasonable. 

Barney is survived by his fellow Scottish Terrier, Miss Beazley, and Bob the cat who enjoys waterboarding lizards.

Condolences to the Bush family on their loss.
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