Famous Presidential Pets


Guest Post By Brad Finney

Laddie, terrierThroughout the course of American History, many Presidents shared the White House with their beloved pets. Over 200 pets total have called the White House home over the years. Some of the earlier President had some more interesting pets. George Washington and James Madison owned several dogs but also kept Parrots in the White House. John Quincy Adams was gifted a pet alligator. James Buchanan was given a herd of Elephants as a gift from the King of Siam. Buchanan kept one of the Elephants on the grounds of the White House. While some Presidents had more exotic pets, a total of 32 Presidents kept the company of dogs. Here are some of the famous canine friends of previous Presidents.

Lyndon B. Johnson shared the White House with numerous dogs. His favorite was a mutt named Yuki that was found as a stray by his daughter. Johnson also had a white collie names Blanco and a Beagle named Edgar given to him by J. Edgar Hoover. Johnson’s most famous dogs were male and female Beagles named Him and Her.

Warren G. Harding was owned by an Airedale Terrier named Laddie Boy. Laddie was the first Presidential pooch to receive regular press coverage.

Pets, dogs

Franklin D. Roosevelt had a Scottish Terrier named Fala. Fala very rarely left his master’s side and traveled with the President and the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Fala was so adored by the American public that he had his own press secretary to handle his fan mail. Fala was so beloved by the Roosevelt’s that when he was accidently left behind in the Aleutian Islands, President Roosevelt spent millions of dollars to send a Navy destroyer to retrieve him.

 

 

Pets, dogs

Ronald Reagan had two pets during his Presidency. A Bouvier de Flanders named Lucky and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Rex. Lucky is famous for dragging his master across the lawn of the White House in presence of Margaret Thatcher. Rex was a gift given to Nancy Reagan in 1985.

 

George W. Bush lived with a Scottish Terrier named Barney. Barney became so popular that he got his own page on the White House website. Barney was later joined by a female Scottish Terrier named Miss Beazley.

Pets, dogs

Presidential pets have been a great tradition in the White House. Many of the pets have been almost as famous as their owners. Every time there is a new President elected, the nation waits to see what kind of pets the new President will select.

 

 

 

Sources:



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY DO DOGS HAVE WHISKERS?

Image
  By Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline) EVER WONDER WHY YOUR DOG HAS WHISKERS? Those long hairs on the muzzle do have purpose! Like other hairs they can fall out and regrow. Most people believe the primary purpose of whiskers are sensory. They can help a dog maneuver in the dark by detecting with touch or sensing vibrations like air currents. Whiskers above the eye can protect the eye from getting poked by objects.   They also can serve as a form of communication between dogs. Dogs that are excited can actually move their whiskers back and forth to signal emotions to another dog such as fear or confidence.   Old wives’ tale or truth? If you cut off a dog’s whisker(s) they will affect his balance. False. But loss of whiskers could affect the dog’s ability to sense or feel on that side. So, if you’re tempted to clip your dog’s unruly whiskers, resist. Best to leave them alone.   Thank you to Dr. Ernie Ward for providing some of the information in this art...
Read more

The Pet Cleaner's Club

Image
Post by Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)   Are you the designated pet cleaner up-er in your household? When your dog poops on the floor or vomits up some disgusting half-chewed up toy or dead animal, does everyone wave their arms in the air and wail, “Mom…Misty puked!” Or my all-time favorite: “Eww! Callie peed on the rug again.”   Everyone other than you is paralyzed in the face of pet elimination. They are  enthusiastic about pointing out the mess, but then walk away in pride as if they’ve completed their job. You are left to deal. So, you close off all sense of smell and swallow that knot of disgust that’s churning your stomach and pull out the cleaners. Been there?   Have you ever had a rough day at work only to arrive home last and discover the pet disaster has been preserved just for you like a crime scene roped off with DO NOT CROSS tape? And, the mess is now crusted into an almost permanent new layer on the beautiful area rug. Maybe we’re th...
Read more

Grain Free? Is it really better for my pet?

Image
Post by Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/Feline) I wish I had a dollar for every time a pet owner tells me they’ve switched their pet to a “grain free” diet because it is SO MUCH BETTER than diets containing evil ingredients like corn or rice. I was actually thinking about this after work last night while watching the news. A big commercial flashed on TV touting the benefits of a grain free diet. Soooo… is it all hype? Or is there really something legitimate to the alternate sources of carbohydrates? Let’s be clear, those pet food companies must put a carbohydrate in their foods, but instead of grains they’re using barley, tapioca, millet, quinoa, and even garbanzo beans. Are so many dogs out there having adverse food reactions to things like corn, rice, wheat, or other grains? Or is it that there are just so many foods of variable qualities that we are seeing more adverse reactions to ingredients that most dogs tolerated well in the past? I've always been told by the food comp...
Read more