AOC finds her perfect puppy – which other politicians have found theirs?

On Tuesday, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought joy to the world in the form of a video announcing a new addition to her family: a dog.

The dog appears to be a French bulldog, an intelligent dog known for its stubborn streak. That’s perhaps an obvious fit for the freshman congresswoman, who ousted a 10-term incumbent without any lobbyist cash (although it is worth noting that concerns have been raised around this breed, as some have trouble breathing).

Related: ‘He'd like to see peace on Earth’: how a dog became mayor of a California town

As legend has it, a dog says a lot about its owner. That saying surely holds even more relevance when it comes to politicians. Second only to babies, pets are a choice weapon for politicians who want to soften their image. Their canine best friend holds a special role: to project the image that the politician wants the public to have of them.

Here is our take on what the following dogs say about their political owners.

Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete wants you to know his dog is a fighter. Part pug, part beagle, his dog Buddy only has one eye and looks somewhat menacing. Which is just as well, considering Buttigieg’s attempts at convincing us of his fighting credentials haven’t exactly paid off.

Buttigieg has mentioned his time in the military hundreds of times during his campaign trail, describing it as “dangerous”, and bragging about time he spent “outside the wire”. Alas, documents seem to suggest that Buttigieg didn’t spend any time in direct combat during his time in the army. But the dog still looks tough.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s dog is a Jack Russell with floppy blond hair. They say a Jack Russell is a small dog with a big attitude, which is fitting for a prime minister who wrote a back-up newspaper column arguing that the UK should stay in the EU, then campaigned to leave, pushed for a hard Brexit and asked everyone if they still wanted to be mates after.

Justin Trudeau

The Canadian prime minister has many things going for him. He recently got a beard, when he roasts Donald Trump alongside world leaders they all laugh, and he has a cute dog. No wonder Melania kissed him.

Elizabeth Warren

When Elizabeth Warren was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, her students surprised her one day with a golden retriever puppy. That puppy, Otis, didn’t make it to see Warren’s presidential bid, having died in 2012. But Warren, ever the woman with a plan, wasn’t going to let that stop her. She replaced Otis last year with another golden retriever, this time named Bailey.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden has two dogs, and like any guy trying to rebuild the soul of the nation, he rescued them both. Biden’s dogs are German shepherds named Champ and Major – although he probably would have called them “Man” and “Folks”, if they were more acceptable dog names.

Mike Pence

We are aware that Marlon Bundo is a rabbit, not a dog. Mike Pence also has a dog, but that seemed far less interesting than Bundo, who has its own Wikipedia page. Bundo is colloquially known as Botus – or Bunny of the United States. He has been described as the “only positive thing in Washington”.