Many of America's presidents have found friendship and solace in their pets. It's a tradition that goes all the way back to founding father, President George Washington, the founding father who also bred foxhounds. As of today, 46 U.S. Presidents have had pets while they resided in the White House. And, like many of us today, the pets became part of their families, offering courage, patience, forgiveness, unconditional love and comfort, particularly during stressful periods for president in office.

I think I should stop reading the news before I go to bed. I had 2 consecutive nightmares last night. In the first one, I was pulled over by the police for driving in the wrong lane. I asked them to prove I was guilty but they couldn't. Then they asked for a bribe to go free. They weren't asking for much but this was a matter of principles. I threatened to call my lawyer. And that's when the real nightmare started because I was in this never ending loop of dialing my lawyer's number over and over again -- and the more I couldn't remember the number, the more they increased the bribe. I woke up out of frustration.