KENNEBUNKPORT — Former President George H.W. Bush welcomed former President Bill Clinton to Walker’s Point on Monday.
A photo posted on Twitter shows the nation’s 41st and 42nd presidents at the Bush family compound, as Bush shows off a pair of “Bill Clinton socks.” The elder Bush enjoys wearing colorful socks, and wore socks with books on them at Barbara Bush’s funeral in April to honor his late wife’s commitment to literacy.
Clinton ended Bush’s plans for re-election in 1992 but both Bush and his son former President George W. Bush are now friends with Clinton.
The elder Bush also welcomed a new member of the family: a yellow Labrador retriever that will be his first service dog.
The 94-year-old former president and his new companion, Sully, got acquainted Monday.
A photo sent via Twitter shows Sully lounging at the feet of Bush and Clinton.
A great joy to welcome home the newest member of our family, “Sully,” a beautiful — and beautifully trained — lab from @AmericasVetDogs. Could not be more grateful, especially for their commitment to our veterans. pic.twitter.com/Fx4ZCZAJT8
— George Bush (@GeorgeHWBush) June 25, 2018
Sully can open doors, pick up items and summon help, but “more than anything else the dog will be a wonderful companion,” said an aide, Evan Sisley.
The nation’s 41st president uses a wheelchair and an electric scooter for mobility since developing a form of Parkinson’s disease. Bush is recovering from a recent hospitalization and is without his wife of 73 years.
Sully was trained by America’s VetDogs , a nonprofit that provides service dogs.
“He’s a really sweet dog,” said Sisley, who hopes that Bush’s use of a service dog will call attention to the organization and to service dogs. Sully has his own Instagram account that will help in the effort to raise awareness, Sisley said.
Bush has had dogs since he was a boy, and dogs are always welcome at the family home. Two of his kids, Neil Bush and Dorothy Bush Koch, together have five dogs there, and other family members bring pets with them when they visit, Sisley said.
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