Lap-Sized : There’s a New Top Dog at White House

Less than two weeks after exiling the feckless Lucky to the ranch, President Reagan today surprised Nancy with a new dog, a year-old spaniel--one-quarter Lucky’s size--expected to live at the White House for the next three years.

The President presented the pup to his wife in their New York hotel suite as an early Christmas present, presidential spokesman Larry Speakes said.

The Reagans, in town for a party Thursday night, took the dog with them on Air Force One back to Washington today.

This dog has breeding. Known as a King Charles spaniel, it is the brother of a dog owned by National Review editor William F. Buckley Jr.

Its vital statistics: male, 16 pounds, born Dec. 16 and, importantly, “housebroken and extremely well-mannered.”

Easier to Handle

The new presidential pooch strained at the leash, but was easier for Mrs. Reagan to handle than Lucky, who weighed about 65 pounds. The new dog showed no hesitation in scampering up the steps of Air Force One or the President’s helicopter.

Lucky, a black sheep herder, was taken to the Reagans’ 688-acre ranch in Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving because she had outgrown the White House. There also were problems getting her house-trained.

Speakes said Mrs. Reagan visited the Buckleys during the fall and fell in love with their dog. It sat in her lap and stayed at her feet during dinner.

Reagan, knowing that Lucky was soon headed for the ranch, secretly called the Buckleys and discovered that their dog had a brother.

It was not clear who owned the dog for the first year of its life or what its original name was, Speakes said. The Reagans have not yet named it.

When Reagan gave his wife the dog, she exclaimed, “Oh honey, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Speakes said.

He added, “The dog has been promised total access to the Oval Office.”