Presidential Pets: The History Of Pets In The White House (It Wasn’t Just Cats & Dogs)
More than 200 animals have lived in the White House over the years. Nearly every president has brought a treasured pet along with them when they moved into the historical home.
These beloved pets offer comfort and familiarity to presidents and their families while they’re in their “home away from home,” and have ranged from the furry to the feathered and everything in between. Let’s meet some of the most famous and unusual presidential pets that have graced the White House grounds, including the newest canine residents!
LBJ’s Dog Interrupted A Bill Signing
President Lyndon Johnson, better known as LBJ, was a big dog lover and was frequently seen playing with his pets on the White House grounds. He had a few beagles, a collie, and a mixed-breed dog named Yuki.
In this photo, Johnson is trying to sign a bill. But as he went to sign it (with an audience watching), the mischievous Yuki decided it was a good time to jump up on the desk. Luckily, it looks like LBJ had a good sense of humor about it, and he was eventually able to sign the bill.
Lincoln’s Love Of Animals
The 16th president of the United States was an animal lover. Abraham Lincoln kept a variety of pets over his lifetime. One of his favorite animals was his beloved yellow mixed-breed dog Fido. When elected president, Lincoln opted to leave Fido with friends in Springfield, Illinois, because he worried that the trip would be too stressful for the dog.
According to HuffPo, he also “gave the friends Fido’s favorite horsehair sofa. They had to promise to never leave him tied up in the backyard. He was not to be scolded for wet or muddy paws. He was to be allowed inside whenever he scratched at the door. And he was to be given scraps from the dining room table.” This is an 1860 photo of Fido, the pampered pooch.
The Coolidges Had A Raccoon Named Rebecca
The country’s 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, and his wife Grace had lots of unexpected pets over the years. One of their favorites was a raccoon that was sent to the first couple to become part of their Thanksgiving feast! The Coolidges thought she was too tame and sweet to eat. They decided to name her Rebecca and kept her as a pet instead.
Mrs. Coolidge later wrote that “[s]he was a mischievous, inquisitive party and we had to keep watch of her when she was in the house. She enjoyed nothing better than being placed in a bathtub with a little water in it and given a cake of soap with which to play.” This photo depicts the First Lady holding Rebecca at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll in 1927.
There Was A Cow Named Pauline Wayne Taft
"Miss Wayne" was a cow that belonged to the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft. Pauline Wayne was the last cow to live on the White House grounds. She grazed on the presidential lawn from 1910 to 1913 and had been given to the president as a gift from Wisconsin senator Isaac Stephenson.
Apparently, the family’s first cow wasn’t able to provide enough milk for the family (all big eaters!) so Pauline Wayne was brought in as a replacement. After her tenure at the White House, Pauline Wayne was sent back to Wisconsin. Her final fate is unknown.
Putin Criticized Barney And Miss Beazley Bush
George W. Bush and his wife Laura had two Scottish Terriers during the years they lived in the White House (2001-2009). First was a male named Bernard Bush, better known as Barney. He became quite famous as First Dog and even attracted the attention of Vladimir Putin, who remarked that his own dog was "(b)igger, tougher, stronger, faster, [and] meaner, than Barney.” OK.
Later, President Bush gave Mrs. Bush the 10-week-old Miss Beazley as a birthday gift. Today there is a bronze statue of both Scottish Terriers at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
The Checkers Speech
One of the most famous pets in presidential history never even got to move into the White House! Richard Nixon, who became the 37th president of the United States, owned a black and white Cocker Spaniel named Checkers during the time he was running for vice president. While campaigning, Nixon was accused of misusing thousands of dollars in supporter contributions.
He went on television to address the charges and said that he would be keeping one gift from supporters: Checkers. He said, “...you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it.” Checkers immediately became famous, but unfortunately died in 1964, four years before Nixon became president.
Old Ike, The Tobacco-Chewing Ram
Our 28th president, Woodrow Wilson, showed his support for World War I efforts by keeping a herd of sheep on White House grounds. How did this help the war? Well, sheep kept the grass short which saved on manpower, and their wool sold for $52,823 – all of which was donated to the Red Cross.
The sheep were led by a Shropshire ram named Old Ike, who had a reputation for being mean. One newspaper account from the time said that Ike was “forceful and strategic” and chased down White House staff who got in his way. Old Ike was famous for his love of chewing tobacco. He happily ate every cigar butt he found.
The Very First Presidential Pets
Even George and Martha Washington had pets (although they did not live in the White House). The Washingtons were bird lovers and owned many parrots, as well as other birds, throughout their lifetimes. According to the Mount Vernon (then the presidential home) website, George Washington even sent France’s Marquis de Lafayette some red cardinals as a gift.
The Washingtons also enjoyed dogs and had many of them over the years, from hunting hounds to a Dalmation named Madame Moose.
Laddie Boy Became A Doggie Celebrity
President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, had an Airedale Terrier named Laddie Boy that became the first White House pet to get regular newspaper coverage. The New York Times and the Washington Star ran stories about him almost every day.
Laddie Boy had a caretaker, went golfing with the president, and had his very own hand-carved chair that he sat in during Cabinet meetings. After Harding died, Florence gave Laddie Boy to her favorite Secret Service agent since she knew her health wouldn't allow her to care for him for very long.
Socks The Cat
This black and white cat is Socks, the Clinton family’s pet while they lived in the White House. Bill Clinton, the 42nd president, is shown here with Socks draped casually over his shoulders as the two take a leisurely stroll through the White House grounds in 1993. Socks was initially their daughter Chelsea’s cat.
She jumped right into Chelsea’s arms as she left her piano lessons and the family decided to keep her. Socks was a very popular First Pet and even made official appearances at hospitals and schools. Sadly, Socks died of cancer on February 20, 2009.
Major Biden Is The White House's First Shelter Dog
Joe and Jill Biden had two German shepherds, Champ and Major, that moved into the White House on January 24, 2021. Major is the first dog to go from a shelter to the White House. Talk about a "wags to riches" story!
Before Inauguration Day, there was a virtual "indoguration" ceremony for Major that featured "notable rescue dogs and their parents." Proceeds supporting the Delaware Humane Association. The Bidens said they also plan to get a cat to roam the house along with Champ and Major. Sadly, Champ passed away on June 19, 2021.
Josiah Roosevelt, White House Badger
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was known to collect exotic animals. He ran a literal zoo at the White House during his presidency! One of the animals Roosevelt kept as a pet was a badger named Josiah. The animal was given to Roosevelt by a little girl he met while campaigning in Kansas. She explained that her brother Josiah had just caught him.
Roosevelt named the badger Josiah in the brother's honor. His son Archibald became fond of the badger and once complimented the animal’s manners, remarking that "he bites legs sometimes but he never bites faces.” Pictured is President Roosevelt holding the baby badger on the left, and on the right is Archibald with an older Josiah.
The Nation’s First Siamese Cats
The first Siamese cat ever brought to the United States was a gift to the country’s 19th president, Rutherford B. Hayes. Hayes and his wife initially named the cat Miss Pussy but later changed her name to Siam to reflect her noble demeanor. The cat was from David B. Sickels, the American consul in Bangkok.
Other Siamese cats have graced the White House grounds since Hayes’ time in office; President Ford and President Carter’s families both kept them as pets during their terms. This is first daughter Susan Ford with her Siamese cat Shan in 1974.
Mr. Reciprocity And Mr. Protection
Although Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, and his wife Caroline had several “traditional” animals like dogs as pets, they also had a pair of more unusual creatures living with them at the White House. Those were two possums, named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection.
It’s clear where those names came from, as the slogan of the Republican Party at the time was “Protection and reciprocity are twin measures of Republican policy and go hand-in-hand.” Apparently, the beloved pet possums were frequently allowed to run free throughout the White House.
Bo And Sunny Obama Could Be A Handful
During his campaign to become the nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama famously promised his daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a puppy if he won. Senator Ted Kennedy made sure of that when he gave a Portuguese water dog to the Obama family in 2009. The dog was named Bo, and he was joined by a female named Sunny (also a Portuguese water dog) in 2013.
The first family kept a good sense of humor about their dogs’ occasional accidents, with Mrs. Obama once saying, “Sunny can be naughty. Because you know what she does sometimes? She leaves the kitchen and she’ll sneak, and she’ll go poop on the other end of the White House.” Here, the pups are greeting kids at a Christmas party.
Alligators At The White House!
This might be hard to believe, but it’s true: two different presidents have kept alligators at the White House! First was John Quincy Adams, who was given one of the reptiles by the Marquis de Lafayette. It's even been said that Adams kept the gator in a bathtub in one of the White House’s unfinished rooms for several months.
Herbert Hoover, the nation’s 31st president, also had alligators. More specifically, it was Hoover’s son Allan who kept a pair of gators as pets, and they were often seen roaming the grounds of the White House. “Beauty and the Beast” were eventually donated to the Smithsonian Zoo.
A Mockingbird Was Supposedly The First Pet To Live In The White House
Third president Thomas Jefferson loved mockingbirds and kept several of them as pets throughout his life. One of the birds, in particular, was a favorite of Jefferson's. The bird was named Dick and is thought to be the first pet to live in the White House. Jefferson was really close with this bird.
When one of his friends got a mockingbird of his own, Jefferson wrote and congratulated him. Dick was granted roaming privileges in the White House and would even follow Jefferson up the stairs, one step at a time.
William "Billy" Johnson Hippopotamus
We mentioned President Calvin Coolidge earlier. He had many notable pets, and here’s another: a pygmy hippo named William Johnson Hippopotamus (“Billy" for short). Billy was a gift to the president. When Coolidge acquired Billy he was already 600 pounds. Billy ended up being donated to the National Zoo, where he was one of the most popular residents. The New York Times wrote that he was "as frisky as a dog. Even the antics of the monkeys go unobserved when the keeper opens the tiny hippo's cage and cuts up with him."
Billy was only the eighth pygmy hippo brought to the United States and is now a direct ancestor of nearly every captive pygmy hippo in the country.
Buddy Clinton
The Clinton family added to their White House menagerie with the addition of Buddy, a chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever, in 1997. Unfortunately, Buddy and Socks the cat didn’t get along too well and had to be kept in separate areas of the White House. In 1998, first lady Hillary Clinton penned the book Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids' Letters to the First Pets as a tribute to both animals.
Here, we see Buddy acting like a dog that doesn’t even know he’s famous. He’s just casually rolling around on the White House floor while being petted by Bill Clinton and Jacques Chirac, the president of France, in 1999. NBD.
Trump Did Not Bring A Pet To The White House
Former President Donald Trump notably didn't have a pet, which is rare for the position. Dave Baker, who co-owns the Presidential Pet Museum, told the Huffington Post that “[t]here are only a few administrations that didn’t feature any pets at the White House.”
A Melania Trump spokesperson said in July 2017 that the first family did not have any plan to add a pet to the household and they apparently never did. Also, Trump’s first wife Ivana has said that the couple once owned a poodle named Chappy and that Donald didn’t like him.
Wormy White House Pets
John Quincy Adams was the country’s sixth president. His wife, Louisa Adams, kept quite an unusual pet: silkworms. The worms fed on the leaves of mulberry trees that grew on the White House grounds. Mrs. Adams liked harvesting their silk and she used it to make clothing. President Adams is said to have enjoyed the worms as well and frequently counted the number of eggs they laid.
A sad side note to this story is that the Adams family supposedly did not have a happy marriage and Louisa may have immersed herself in raising the silkworms in an effort to distract herself from depression.
Lots Of Bird Lovers
It turns out that many of our nation’s presidents were fans of keeping feathered pets. The 15th president, James Buchanan, even had bald eagles! The regal birds were given to Buchanan by friends who thought he might be lonely in the White House without a wife or children to keep him company. However, Buchanan soon learned that the White House was not an ideal home for the eagles, and sent them to live at his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
He had other pets, including a terrier named Punch and a Newfoundland named Lara. Pictured is a turkey that's about to receive a presidential pardon for Thanksgiving.
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