Fala meet Meelo

Fala, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog with Meelo (aka Meatloaf).
© J. Ashley Nixon

Fala (1940-1952) was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog. The Scottish Terrier, originally called Big Boy, got the name after one of FDR’s ancestors from the Scottish Borders, John Murray the Outlaw of Falahill.

The non-alloy black & white dog in the photo is Meelo (aka Meatloaf) who was visiting the Washington DC monument with his owner. Young Meelo (his name appears on the dog tags around his neck) jumped up on to the platform. Just for a moment, he looked into the eyes of Fala then he was away, in search of some other plaything.

The bronze statue of FDR alongside his faithful canine companion was created by Neil Estern, a unique sitting of a U.S. Presidential dog in a national monument. The sculpture forms part of an extensive landscaped memorial designed  by Lawrence Halprin in 1974. The four open-air rooms represent each of the four terms of office of FDR over the years of the depression and Second World War (1933-1945).

Meelo met Fala!

For more urban images please see J. Ashley Nixon Photography