Governor Gregoire and First Mike Introduce Trooper, the First Dog of Washington

For Immediate Release: June 26, 2006

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire and First Mike today introduced Trooper, the First Dog of Washington.

Trooper is an eight week old Shiba Inu and weighs four pounds. Shiba Inus were originally bred to hunt by sight and scent in the dense undergrowth of Japan�s mountains. They are now kept as pets in both the United States and Japan. There are more Shiba Inus in Japan than any other breed of dog.

The Gregoires chose to name him Trooper in honor of the Washington State Patrol, which was the first organization to volunteer to find the Gregoire family a dog after First Dog Franz was hit by a car in February.


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