Presidents come and go, but one constant through 10 terms has been Dale Haney, the White House’s chief gardener, who marks 50 years this month of serving families — and many of their pets.
Haney’s primary responsibility is caring for the sprawling lawns, colorful flower gardens, hundreds of trees, thousands of shrubs, and flourishing orchard on the 18-acre (7-hectare) property surrounding the White House. He also chooses the official Christmas tree each year and has already chosen this year’s spruce from a farm in Pennsylvania.
But Haney is perhaps best known to many in the White House, from staff to Secret Service agents, as the keeper of the president’s pets.
“He’s like the charmer,” said Anita McBride, who was a young assistant in the Ronald Reagan administration’s correspondence office when she met Haney.
Today, Haney is often seen walking Commander, President Joe Biden’s German Shepherd.