Article II of the United States Constitution says nothing about dogs.  Nevertheless, it is an established norm of American governance that every president will have a dog.  But, as he has with so many other norms, President Trump has trampled this one by refusing to have a dog in the White House.

So it was interesting to watch on November 25 when President Trump was visited at the White House by Conan, the military dog who had recently seen action in Syria.  (“Our ‘K-9’ as they call it.  I call it a dog.”)  After a meeting in the Oval Office, President Trump, the First Lady, the Vice President, and Conan’s handler brought Conan outside the Oval to the Rose Garden for a brief but awkward appearance before the White House press corps.

During the appearance, Conan kept a safe distance from the President, and an even greater distance from Melania.  He spent most of his moment in the spotlight snuggling up to the Vice President.  A number of  politically-astute scientists have pointed out that, contrary to all previous evidence, Conan’s repeated snuggling with Mike Pence may be proof that the Vice President is in fact human after all.