Donald Trump today saluted the hero dog which helped corner ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - but the pooch appeared to prefer Vice President Mike Pence.
Conan, the military working dog, was given a medal for his heroics in capturing the terror leader .
"This is the ultimate fighter. Ultimate everything," Trump said at a special ceremony at the White House.
"It's incredible, the sense of smell, or whatever it may be,' Trump said of service dogs' talent.
"They were going to put a muzzle on the dog and I thought that was a good idea, but then it gets even more violent.
"Conan is a tough cookie. No one is going to mess with Conan."
Despite the praise, Conan solicited pats from Mr Pence in the background. The politician repeatedly stroked the dog outside the White House as Mr Trump, 73, gushed at some length.
Conan was hurt when he helped run down the ISIS chief. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi eventually blew himself up in the raid last month.
Paying tribute to the cute Belgian Malinois, Mr Pence himself said: "Conan is really a hero."
He too praised the canine.
But the White House said though Conan's normal handler took part in the al-Baghdadi raid, he or she couldn't be identified.
Last month, the US President tweeted his praise for the military dog.
"AMERICAN HERO," the world leader wrote.
The dog has worked with special operations forces for four years and taken part in about 50 missions.
