Rufus became famous as the little poodle who followed Churchill around while the Prime Minister successfully led Britain through WW II.
Sir Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of the UK, was known as the British Bulldog because of his no-nonsense temperament, and some say his looks. So, you would think being an animal lover, a bulldog might be his favorite dog. Actually he did have a bulldog named Dodo, as well as many other animals in his life, but the one that held a really special place in his heart was his little poodle Rufus.
The two were almost inseparable. Rufus was often at Churchill's side while the Prime Minister dealt with the hardships of World War II. The dog would join him at luncheons and official meetings, but when he wasn't invited Churchill would kindly give his poodle a reason. For instance "No, Rufus, I haven't found it necessary to ask you to join the wartime cabinet."
When the two weren't dealing with business, Rufus led a rather leisure life at the Prime Minister's lodgings. Not only was he allowed to dine with the family, he was served first before the others could eat. He was also privileged to sit on his master's lap when looking at the screen. Once when the two were watching a scene from Oliver Twist, Churchill covered the dog's eyes when the character Bill Sykes drowned a dog. He told Rufus "Don't look now, dear. I'll tell you about it afterwards."
Sadly, in 1947 Rufus was hit by a car and died while Churchill was away at a political conference. The British Bulldog was devastated.
Shortly after the death of Rufus, the Managing Editor of Life Magazine gave Churchill a poodle that looked a lot like Rufus. In fact, Churchill named the dog Rufus II but said the II was silent. Rufus II went on to live a long and happy life.
