President and Mrs. Obama demonstrated due diligence when they researched a breed for their family and settled on a Portuguese Water Dog. They join a long list of presidents who have brought companion animals into the White House. And not all those animals were the garden variety dog or cat.
The White House has served as a zoo, of sorts, having been the presidential palace for a wide variety of animals. To begin with, Abraham Lincoln may have had a mixed-breed, Labrador-type dog named Fido but that that was not his only pet. He also had two goats named Nanny and Nanko, a horse, a rabbit, and of course, Jack the Turkey.
Andrew Jackson would have been grateful that James Buchanan preceded him by two administrations or else Jackson’s six white mice may have wound up as dinner for Buchanans’ pet eagle, a bird whose other housemates were a Newfoundand named Lara and a toy terrier named Punch. Not a bad listing of presidential pets.
Presidential Pets
George Washington had staghounds, a coonhound, a donkey named Royal Gift (probably because he was one) and a horse named Nelson. Thomas Jefferson had Briards, a type of large, hairy dog, but his most unusual pets, (besides Dick the Mockingbird), were two baby bear cubs.
James Madison had a Macaw and John Adams had an alligator, as well as a whole lot of silkworms. And who would believe that there would be blood sports in the White House? Well it is possible Andrew Jackson had fighting cocks because he liked to hear their cockle doodle doo, but it’s far more likely he was fighting them for sport. Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs he kept as White House pets. But it was Calvin Coolidge who had to have what was most certainly the most unusual pets. Among many other pets, Coolidge had a pygmy hippopotamus named Billy, two raccoons (Rebecca and Horace), a bobcat named Smoky (the most popular of all cat names), and Ebenezer the Donkey.
Theodore Roosevelt
Ironically, Theodore Roosevelt, known for his big-game hunting prowess and for slaughtering hundreds of animals during African safaris as well as domestic hunting, was the president with the longest list of White House pets. They include several dogs of terrier breeding, a Pekenese, a Saint Bernard, a Labroador retriever, several cats, a garter snake, a pony, a pig, a badger named Josiah, a rat named Jonathon, a whole lot of guinea pigs with very cool names such as Dr. Johnson and Bishop Doane, a hen, a macaw and a rooster. There was also Gem and Susan, two dogs of undetermined breeding.
Presidents Taft and Harrison were the proud owners of several bovines: Mooly, Wooly and Pauline Paine (Taft’s cows) and Sukey (William Harrisons Cow). President Bush also had a cow he kept at his home ranch in Texas. Her name is Ofelia. Not sure it counts if it’s not a White House resident. President Bush also had two Scotties and Willie the Cat. Bill and Hillary Clinton had Socks, the cat, who was the subject of a book of Letters to Socks lovingly penned by Mrs. Clinton.
Along with Hoover’s many pet dogs he had two alligators, and President Pierce had seven miniature Oriental dogs and two Japanese birds.
Most of the presidents had a pet of some sort, with purebred dogs and horses leading the list, but Woodrow Wilson had sheep and a ram named Old Ike. He also had a Greyhound, a Bull terrier, a cat and some songbirds. Hopefully, the secret service kept the songbirds safe from the cat.
Pets at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
President Chester Arthur was the one and only president with no pets at all. John F. Kennedy had a variety of companion animals, probably the charges of little Caroline and John John.
And now there’s a Portugese Water Dog at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
This list is but a little sampling of what the presidential pet situation was. It’s a good thing that this particular public housing allows pets!
(sources: Factmonster.com and whitehouse.gov)
Michelle Rivera - Michelle A. Rivera is the author of several books including HOSPICE HOUNDS, Animals and Healing at the Borders of Death; CANINES IN THE ...
