April 15, 2021

Presidential Pets

After Donald Trump’s presidency without pets, it was nice to learn that Joe Biden’s presidency would include two German Shepherd’s in the White House. In fact, Major is the first shelter dog to take up residence there.

Since pets are such an important part of all our lives and the first families are no exception, we thought it would be fun to learn more about the presidential pets over the years.

Below you'll find our entire four-part series about presidential pets and we think you’ll be as entertained and amazed as we were as we found out about the vast variety and quantity of pets that have graced the White House grounds over the years.

George Washington (1789 – 1797)
• American Foxhounds (Sweetlips, Scentwell and Vulcan)
• Black and Tan Coonhounds (Drunkard, Taster, Tipler and Tipsy)
• Greyhound (Cornwallis)
• Andalusian donkey
• Horses (Nelson and Blueskin - wartime mounts), Samson, Steady, Leonidas, Traveller and Magnolia)
• Parrot (Snipe)

John Adams (1797 – 1801)
• Dogs (Juno, Mark and Satan)
• Horses (Cleopatra and Caesar)

Thomas Jefferson (1801 – 1809)
• Shepherd dogs (Bergere and Grizzle)
• Grizzly bear cubs
• Horse (Caractacus)
• Mockingbird (Dick)

James Madison (1809 – 1817)
• Parrot (Polly)

James Monroe (1817 – 1825)
• Siberian Husky (Sebastian)
• Spaniel

John Quincy Adams (1825 – 1829)
• Silkworms

Andrew Jackson (1829 – 1837)
• Horses (Bolivia, Emily, Lady Nashville, Sam Patch and Truxton
• Grey parrot (Polly)
• Fighting cocks

Martin Van Buren (1837 – 1841)
• Tiger Cubs

William Henry Harrison (1841 - 1841)
• Durham cow (Sukey)
• Goat

John Tyler (1841 – 1845)
• Italian Greyhound (Le Beau)
• Horse (The General)
• Canary (Johnny Ty)

James Polk (1845 – 1849)
• None

Zachary Taylor (1849 – 1850)
• Horse (Old Whitey – wartime mount)
• Pony (Apollo)

Millard Fillmore (1850 – 1853)
• Ponies (Mason and Dixon)

Franklin Pierce (1853 – 1857)
• Miniature Japanese Chin dogs
• Japanese birds

James Buchanan (1857 – 1861)
• Newfoundland (Lara)
• Toy Terrier (Punch)
• Eagle

Abraham Lincoln (1861 – 1865)
• Dogs (Fido and Jip)
• Cats (Tabby and Dixie)
• Horse (Old Bob)
• Turkey (Jack)
• Goats (Nanny and Nanko)
• Rabbit

Andrew Johnson (1865 – 1869)
• No pets

Ulysses S Grant (1869 – 1877)
• Newfoundland (Faithful)
• Dog (Rosie)
• Horses (Butcher’s Boy, Cincinnati, Egypt, Jeff Davis (wartime mount), Jennie, Julia, Mary and St. Louis)
• Ponies (Billy Button and Reb)

Rutherford B Hayes (1877 – 1881)
• Cocker Spaniel (Dot)
• Newfoundland (Hector)
• English Mastiff (Duke)
• Greyhound (Grim)
• Miniature Schnauzer (Otis)
• Hunting dogs (Juno and Shep)
• Dog (Jet)
• Siamese cats (Siam and Miss Pussy)
• Cat (Piccolomini)

James Garfield (1881 – 1881)
• Dog (Veto)
• Horse (Kit)

Chester A Arthur (1881 – 1885)
• Horses
• Rabbit

Grover Cleveland (1885 – 1889 and 1893 - 1897)
• Japanese Poodle (Hector)
• Dachshunds
• Mockingbirds

Benjamin Harrison (1889 – 1893)
• Collie (Dash)
• Goat (Whiskers)
• Opossums (Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection)
• Alligators

William McKinley (1897 – 1901)
• Angora kittens (Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome)
• Yellow-Headed Mexican parrot (Washington Post)
• Roosters

Theodore Roosevelt (1901 – 1909)
• Manchester Terrier (Blackjack)
• Terriers (Jack and Peter)
• Pekingese (Manchu)
• Bull Terrier (Pete)
• Saint Bernard (Rollo)
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Sailor Boy)
• Mongrel (Skip)
• Dogs (Gem and Susan)
• Cats (Tom Quartz and Slippers)
• Guinea Pigs (Admiral Dewey, Bishop Doane, Dr. Johnson, Father O’Grady and Fighting Bob Evans)
• Calico pony (Algonquin)
• Hen (Baron Spreckle)
• Lizard (Bill)
• Hyacinth Macaw (Eli Yale)
• Garter Snake (Emily Spinach)
• Pony (Fedelity)
• Small black bear (Jonathan Edwards)
• Piebald rat (Jonathan)
• Badger (Josiah)
• Pig (Maude)
• Rabbit (Peter)
• Laughing Hyena (Bill)
• Barn Owl
• One-legged rooster (Fierce)

William Howard Taft (1909 – 1913)
• Dog (Caruso)
• Cows (Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne)

Woodrow Wilson (1913 – 1921)
• Airedale Terrier (Davie)
• Bull Terrier (Bruce)
• Cat (Puffins)
• Sheep
• Songbirds

Warren G Harding (1921 – 1923)
• Airedale Terrier (Laddie Boy)
• Bulldog (Old Boy)
• Canary (Petey)
• Squirrel (Pete)

Calvin Coolidge (1923 – 1929)
• White Collies (Rob Roy and Prudence Prim)
• Wirehair Fox Terrier (Peter Pan)
• Airedale Terrier (Paul Pry)
• Shetland Sheepdog (Calamity Jane)
• Chow Chows (Tiny Tim and Blackberry)
• Collies (Ruby Rouch and Bessie)
• Boston Bulldog (Boston Beans)
• Belgian Sheepdog (King Cole)
• English Setter (Palo)
• Cats (Blacky and Tiger)
• Raccoons (Rebecca and Reuben)
• Donkey (Ebenezer)
• Canaries (Nip, Tuck, Peter Piper and Snowflake)
• Yellow bird (Goldy)
• Troupial (Do-Funny)
• Goose (Enoch)
• Bobcat (Smoky)
• Lion cubs (Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau)
• Pygmy Hippopotamus (Billy)
• Wallaby
• Duiker
• Black Bear (Bruno)
• Pekin Ducks

Herbert Hoover (1929 – 1933)
• Belgian Shepherd (King Tut)
• German Shepherd (Pat)
• Fox Terriers (Big Ben and Sonnie)
• Scotch Collie (Glen)
• Canadian Eskimo dog (Yukonan)
• Irish Wolfhound (Patrick)
• Setter (Eaglehurst Gillette)
• Norwegian Elkhound (Weegie)
• Opossum (Billy)
• Roller canary (Caruso)

Franklin D Roosevelt (1933 – 1945)
• Scottish Terriers (Fala and Meggie)
• German Shepherd (Major)
• Llewellyn Setter (Winks)
• Old English Sheepdog (Tiny)
• Great Dane (President)
• Bullmastiff (Blaze)

Harry S Truman (1945 – 1953)
• Cocker Spaniel (Feller)
• Irish Setter (Mike)

Dwight D Eisenhower (1853 – 1961)
• Weimaraner (Heidi)
• Parakeet (Gabby)’

John F Kennedy (1961 – 1963)
• Poodle (Gaullie)
• Welsh Terrier (Charlie)
• Doberman Pinscher (Moe)
• Cocker Spaniel (Shannon)
• Irish Wolfhound and Schnauzer mix (Wolf)
• German Shepherd (Clipper)
• Dog (Pushinka)
• Puppies – offspring of Pushinka and Charlie (Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie and Streaker)
• Cat (Tom Kitten)
• Canary (Robin)
• Parakeets (Bluebell and Marybelle)
• Ducks
• Pony (Macaroni)
• Yucatan pony (Tex)
• Connemara pony (Leprechaun)
• Hamsters (Billie and Debbie)
• Rabbit (Zsa Zsa)
• Horse (Sardar)

Lyndon B Johnson (1963 – 1969)
• Beagles (Him, Her, Edgar and Freckles)
• White Collie (Blanco)
• Mongrel (Yuki)
• Hamsters
• Lovebirds

Richard Nixon (1969 – 1974)
• Poodle (Vicki)
• Terrier (Pasha)
• Irish Setter (King Timahoe)
• Cocker Spaniel (Checkers)

Gerald Ford (1974 – 1977)
• Golden Retrievers (Liberty and Misty)
• Dog (Lucky)
• Siamese cat (Shan)

Jimmy Carter (1977 – 1981)
• Border Collie mix (Grits)
• Afghan hound (Lewis Brown)
• Siamese cat (Misty Malarky Ying Yang)

Ronald Reagan (1981 – 1989)
• Bouvier des Flandres (Lucky)
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Rex)
• Golden Retriever (Victory)
• Irish Setter (Peggy)
• Siberian Husky (Taca)
• Belgian Sheepdog (Fuzzy)
• Cats (Cleo and Sara)
• Horses (El Alamein, Nancy D, Baby, Little Man and others)

George H. W. Bush (1989 – 1993)
• Springer Spaniels (Millie and Ranger)

Bill Clinton (1993 – 2001)
• Chocolate Labrador Retriever (Buddy)
• Cat (Socks)

George W Bush (2001 – 2009)
• English Springer Spaniel (Spot)
• Scottish Terriers (Barney and Miss Beazley)
• Cat (India “Willie)
• Longhorn cow (Ofelia)

Barack Obama (2009 – 2017)
• Portuguese Water Dogs (Bo and Sunny)

Donald Trump (2017 – 2021)
• None

Joe Biden (2021 - )
• German Shepherds (Major and Champ)

We hope you enjoyed the Presidential Pets series. Let us know if you'd like to see more fun information about pets in upcoming issues of Daily Kibble by dropping us an email at info@dailykibble.com.

* Source of information is Wikipedia.