Back to The Last Train Ride

Sometimes we might just dismiss or take for granted the unconditional love that our dog shows us constantly. We should always be aware of it and show how much we do appreciate it because one day our dog might not be there waiting for us at the door because God has decided to take him or her. You do not want to have any regrets so take the time out to show your dog the unconditional love that he or she has shown you. I was blessed with a dog named clyde for 16 years. The night I laid dying in my hallway, he was still there protecting me not to allow the emergency crew in my house to assist me to the fact that they had to call for animal control. That night God sent a angel to my side. I invite you to read all about it....On Deaths Door. You can go there from About the Author.

 Clyde the dog 1982-2008

 The word "Fido" comes from the Latin word "Fidelitas" which means "faithful."

Abraham Lincoln and his family owned a pet dog while they lived in Springfield, Illinois. It is believed that Abraham Lincoln's beloved pet was born in 1855. He was a floppy-eared, rough-coated, yellowish "mutt" of uncertain ancestry. It was common to see Fido, with a parcel in his mouth, accompany Abraham Lincoln as he made his errands around springfield.  Fido loved attention and would put on a show of chasing his tail for anyone who happened by. Although just a mutt, the Lincolns treated Fido like royalty.
Fido often followed Lincoln around the streets of Springfield, happily carrying the daily paper or some other object for his master.

 The dog would wait calmly outside the barbershop while Lincoln would get a trim.  Fro 24 years Billy,  the barger was a close friend to Abraham Lincoln. William was a helped carry his friend President Lincoln to his final resting place as a pal bearer. 

 William de Fleurville, or William Florville, was Lincoln's barber for 24 years, his neighbor for a time, and the guardian of the Lincoln home when the family was in Washington. Born in Haiti in 1807, he immigrated to Baltimore in 1820 and learned the barbering trade. In 1831 he arrived in Springfield, and he set up shop in 1832. Successful and visible in the Springfield business community, Billy the Barber was also a flute and violin player, a considerable philanthropist in the growing frontier community, and a composer of seriocomic verses that he published in the Illinois State Journal : "Billy will always be found on the spot,/With razor keen and water smoking hot;/He'll clip and dress your hair, and shave with ease/And leave no effort slack his friends to please." His shop was on Adams Street, between Sixth and Seventh. Billy charged 15 cents to cut the hair of men and boys, 20 cents for girls. He cut Lincoln's hair on Feb. 10, 1861, the day before Lincoln left for Washington. On Dec. 27, 1863, he wrote the president: "Tell taddy [ sic ] that his (and Willy's) dog is alive and kicking.

 Fido was apparently a full-fledged member of the family and was an inside dog with the run of the house. He loved a horsehair sofa in the home and often claimed it for his own.
His time with the Lincoln family ended upon Lincoln's election to the presidency. Lincoln noticed how terrified Fido was of the cannon blasts marking Lincoln's election and never enjoyed being around trains. Lincoln loved animals with a passion (he abhorred hunting and fishing, for example) and strongly believed that Fido would not survive the trip to Washington. So with great sorrow, the Lincolns gave Fido to a local family with the stipulation that he be an indoor dog, given special treats, allowed the run of the home, etc. In fact, the Lincolns even gave Fido's favorite horsehair sofa to the family who took over the raising of Fido.
Mr. Lincoln looked for a good home for Fido and decided to give him to two neighborhood boys, John and Frank Roll. Both boys were very fond of Fido and promised to take good care of him while the Lincoln's were in Washington D.C. The Lincoln's had several conditions that the boys agreed to. They were to never scold Fido if he tracked mud into the house on his paws. Fido was never to be tied up alone in the backyard and was to be let into the house whenever he scratched on the door. He was also to be given scraps of food from the table. The boys both agreed that they would continue to spoil Fido.To help make Fido feel more at home, the Lincolns gave the horsehair sofa that Fido was used to sleeping on to the Rolls. Lincoln's dog Fido was the first presidential dog known to be photographed. Before leaving for Washington D.C., Lincoln's two sons, Tad and Willie, had Fido's photograph taken. Fido was taken to F.W. Ingmire's studio in Springfield for his photograph.