Who Needs Twitter? I Did, Apparently.
When I first left the White House in 2009, I didn’t have a Twitter account. I didn’t even want one. I couldn’t imagine that it was something that would help me in my work.
But a young staff member of mine convinced me it would be good for business. I said okay, you can set it up, but don’t expect me to tweet nonsense.
“How about I teach you how to post pictures of your dog?” she asked.
That got my attention. (This girl will go far.)
“Show me,” I said.
After that, I was hooked. I had a lot of fun taking pictures and coming up with clever captions. I started getting more followers and friends and making connections with people who might have been on the other side of the political spectrum from me—but who cared? We loved our dogs. We bonded over them.
Jasper was a somewhat famous puppy before he even came to live with us. I built up the anticipation with tweets about his progress and how Peter and I were buying all the gear you need to help a puppy grow into an adult dog.
Jasper made his debut on The Five as a sleepy puppy at just two months old, and a star was born. I brought him on set and when we were back from commercial break, I showed him off for the camera. He looked right into the lens with his deep blue eyes (a Vizsla is born with blue eyes that eventually turn amber). He snuggled into me. Hearts melted.
Jasper has tons of personality and is as photogenic as any dog I’ve known. On Jasper’s birthdays, my producer lets him come on the show and he sits on a chair, for the most part, wearing a bow tie collar, and you would think he knows exactly what he’s doing when he looks into the teleprompter. He’s certainly better behaved than Gutfeld.
Baby Jasper with his baby blue eyes. And his elephant. I always wonder what dogs are thinking…
During the first year of Jasper’s life, I started noticing a change in my interaction with people. I’d come to Fox News after serving in the White House for President George W. Bush, and many people knew me as the first Republican woman to serve as the White House press secretary. If I was recognized, folks would ask me to give my regards to President and Mrs. Bush (and those few that wanted me to send a different message got “the look”).
Then in 2012, it changed to questions like “How’s Jasper?” on the street or “Did you bring Jasper?” from TSA agents. Even in New York City, it went from “Hey, lady, get out of the way!” to “Hey, lady, nice dog. Now get out of the way!”
My most prized possession: President Bush’s portrait of Jasper as a puppy. It’s the one item that is to be saved in case of an emergency.
CREDIT: BARRY MORGENSTEIN
At speeches, the first question I got was usually about Jasper, and I started to realize that it was my pet that was helping me connect with people in ways that weren’t partisan or political.
And I really liked it; a welcome change from talking about politics all the time. Jasper was a professional icebreaker. And he has saved me from hours of small talk about the weather… or politics!
On social media, I’d get messages encouraging me to keep posting pictures of Jasper, even though sometimes my colleagues teased me about my obsession. (You should hear about their obsessions. For instance… er, never mind.)
After he was nicknamed America’s Dog on Red Eye, some fans would thank me for being willing to share him with them, especially if they couldn’t have a dog of their own. They’d tell me they looked forward to Jasper’s morning posts and shared the experience with their kids or grandchildren.
When on a whim I made a calendar of Jasper pictures and printed copies for my co-hosts for Christmas presents, I was surprised how many people sent messages asking for one. I’d just done it on a bit of a lark—but the love for Jasper had really turned into something.
