The Most Famous First Pets to Live in the White House
Updated: Oct. 01, 2018
Dogs and cats have lived at the White House during many presidential terms. So have exotic birds, a flock of sheep and even more unconventional animals!
Pete the Squirrel
President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence, had several canaries and two dogs (Laddie Boy and Old Boy), but their most interesting pet was Pete the Squirrel. Pete lived on the White House grounds and would eat right out of people’s hands. Even Navy Secretary Edwin Denby made friends with Pete on the White House lawn.
Here are 10 of the cutest tiny animals from around the world.
Ducks
President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, kept pet ducks that would waddle across the White House lawn. The Kennedy children also owned a pony called Macaroni.
Don’t miss these facts about animals you have all wrong.
Parrots
Some could accuse presidents of being parrots of their party, but George Washington and James Madison had actual parrots in their families. Their wives each had one. Andrew Jackson also had a parrot, which learned how to swear. Someone brought the parrot to Old Hickory’s funeral, but it became unruly because of its persistent swearing.
This parrot became a lonely woman’s best friend—and biggest headache.
Alligators
John Quincy Adams received an alligator from Marquis de Lafayette. The gator apparently lived in a bathroom, and Adams sometimes used it to scare guests. Herbert Hoover’s son, Allan, later owned a pair of gators at the White House.
Billy goat
Benjamin Harrison had a Billy goat and a Durham cow at the White House during his term from 1889 to 1893. The goat, known as “Old Whiskers,” used to be harnessed so it could haul Harrison’s grandchildren around the White House grounds. According to a 1903 story published in the Washington Evening Star, Old Whiskers took off with Harrison’s grandson, Benjamin, a few years prior to Harrison’s death in 1901. The goat and grandson headed toward an excavation site with the president, who was in his late 50s, chasing after them. Eventually Harrison caught up to the racing goat and grabbed the bridle, preventing any disaster.
These 11 monogamous animals stay together all of their lives.
Bo Obama
After Barrack Obama won the 2008 election, he and First Lady Michelle Obama promised their daughters, Malia and Sasha, a new puppy. Bo is a Portuguese water dog given to the first family by Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife.
Siamese cat
Rutherford B. Hayes, who served as president from 1877 to 1881, kept a Siamese cat, the first of the breed ever documented in the United States. He also kept cows, a goat, canaries, and a mockingbird.
Find out why all calico cats are female.
Fala, “The Informer”
Dubbed “The Informer,” Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog Fala was instantly recognized when out on walks during secret presidential trips. But the Scottish Terrier redeemed himself by accepting the role of president of Barkers for Britain, a dog lovers organization whose members supported British people affected by World War II.
Here are seven reasons every kid should grow up with a big dog.
Guinea pigs, badger, lion, hyena, zebra, and bears—oh my!
Leave it to Teddy Roosevelt, the man who once got shot during a speech and finished it, to have a veritable zoo on the White House grounds. That’s right: The man who carried a big stick also kept snakes, a badger, a lion, a hyena, a zebra, and five bears. That’s in addition to the traditional pets around the place, such as dogs, cats, horses, birds, rats, and guinea pigs. The guinea pigs were named Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, Father O’Grady, and Admiral Dewey.
We asked the top animal behaviourists to find out if pets get jealous.
Sheep
We’ll tread lightly here, but Woodrow Wilson used to keep sheep on the White House grounds to help … with lawn maintenance. It was part of a cost-cutting measure during World War I. Included in the flock was Old Ike, a tobacco-chewing ram.
Barney and Miss Beazley
The Scottish Terriers, pets of President George W. Bush, were the subjects of many Bush family Christmas skits.
We rank the 20 smartest dogs in the world!
Raccoon
Calvin Coolidge also kept a small zoo at the White House. Coolidge had a bobcat, a wallaby, two lion cubs, a pygmy hippo, a bear, and a domesticated raccoon. The raccoon, named Rebecca, was kept by Coolidge’s wife, Grace, and was allowed to walk around the White House. The raccoon was even led by a leash at other times, though it was originally sent to the family for Thanksgiving to be eaten with the meal. But the family found the raccoon too domesticated to consume. Instead, the raccoon got her own place to stay in a tree and grew to enjoy playing with a bar of soap in a bathtub filled with a little water. Other Coolidge pets included a duiker (a small antelope), ducks, two canaries named Nip and Tuck, a goose called Enoch, and Smoky the bobcat.
Opossums
Benjamin Harrison had two opossums during his presidency. The opossums were named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection; reciprocity and protection were part of the 1892 Republican Party platform.
Him and Her
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s popular pups—whose actual names were Him and Her—once made the cover of Life magazine. Here they are on a walk with the president and the press on the White House lawn.
Meet 10 unique dog breeds from across the globe.
Gamecocks
Ulysses S. Grant kept gamecocks at the White House during his presidential term. The birds actually belonged to his son Jesse Grant.
Tiger cubs
The Sultan of Oman gifted Martin Van Buren two tiger cubs. Van Buren later gave the cubs to a zoo.
Pauline the cow
William Howard Taft kept a cow named Pauline around so he and his family could enjoy milk. Pauline was the most recent cow to live at the White House.
Grizzly bear
Thomas Jefferson, known as a man of science, received a pair of grizzly bears from explorer Zebulon Pike. They stayed on the White House lawn in cages for several months until they were taken to a museum in Philadelphia.
Eagle
James Buchanan kept an eagle during his term.
Mice
Andrew Johnson, the first president to be impeached, kept mice he found in the White House and fed them.
Roosters
William McKinley kept roosters, but Teddy Roosevelt kept a one-legged rooster.
Next, check out the six famous animals that changed history.
