Fala - National Parks Gallery - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

This image of Fala at Val-Kill is a still from a 1944 MGM film called "Fala At Hyde Park."

Fala was Franklin Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier, often accompanying the President on official trips. He remains one of the most famous presidential pets. Fala was a Christmas gift from FDR’s cousin, Margaret Suckley. His original name was Big Boy, but FDR renamed him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill, a famous Scottish ancestor. He was a clever dog, his antics frequently reported by the media and by the President and Eleanor. Fala survived FDR by seven years, living with Eleanor at Val-Kill, and is buried near them in a marked grave in the Rose Garden at Springwood.