Winston Churchill’s Closest Confidant

However, as Graebner observed, the attachment grew and at some point Churchill took to introducing the poodle thus: “His name is Rufus II—but the II is silent.” So when Pugh’s partner, J.W. Bruford, examined Rufus II in March 1948, he gave Churchill his “firm opinion that you should not allow yourself to become attached to this dog, as it is likely that he will be an unsatisfactory companion within a year or so.” Within two months of the poodle’s becoming a fixture in Churchill’s household one of his secretaries wrote to Miss Lobban, “Rufus is adorable and the greatest fun now.

Source: www.laphamsquarterly.org