United States presidential pets

United States presidential pets are animals that live with American presidents and their families at the White House. Nearly all American presidents have kept some type of pets at the White House or other executive residences. Not surprisingly, dogs and cats have historically been the most common types of presidential pets. A significant number of presidents also kept birds and horses. Even more exotic animals such as lions, elephants, and alligators have called the White House home at various times. A number of presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, kept such large menageries of pets that the White House was turned into a veritable zoo. Some presidential pets, like Richard Nixon’s cocker spaniel Checkers, Bill Clinton’s cat Socks, and Barack Obama’s Portuguese water dogs Bo and Sunny, became celebrities in their own right. In some cases, presidential pets served to improve their owner’s public image and even played unlikely roles in political matters.

Background

American presidents keep pets for many reasons. Like other pet owners, some presidents simply choose to keep pets because they care for them. Keeping pets can also help presidents and their families deal with the tremendous stress involved in running the country. In some cases, however, presidents also choose to keep pets for other purposes. Pets can go a long way towards improving a president’s public image. One interesting example of this phenomenon can be found in Richard Nixon and Checkers. While he was campaigning as the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1952, Nixon came under fire for allegedly misusing a political expense fund and found himself in danger of being removed from his place on the ticket alongside presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. In an attempt to save his political career, Nixon addressed the controversy in a live television and radio broadcast that September. During his address, Nixon mentioned Checkers, a cocker spaniel that his family received as a gift from a supporter, and playfully asserted that he intended to keep the beloved dog. The “Checkers speech,” as his address became known, rehabilitated Nixon’s image, allowing him to retain his place on the Republican ticket and leading him and Eisenhower to victory. Arguably, it also helped Nixon to become president himself in 1969.

Like Nixon, Herbert Hoover was not particularly well liked by many people while he was running for president in 1928. During his campaign, however, Hoover was photographed with a Belgian shepherd named King Tut as a part of a publicity stunt designed to lighten his otherwise stuffy public image. The move proved effective—Hoover won the election and took King Tut with him when he moved into the White House.

Presidential pets can also be politically significant in some cases. One of the best examples of a politically impactful pet was John F. Kennedy’s dog Pushinka. Pushinka was a gift presented to Kennedy from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1961 at the height of the Cold War and the Space Race. The canine was one of the pups born to Strelka, a dog that the Soviets sent into space during their early stages of their space program. While Khrushchev’s gesture may have been one of good will, many Americans saw the presentation of Pushinka as a reminder that the Soviet Union was beating the United States in the Space Race at the time.

Overview

Pets have been part of the presidency from the first days of the office. All of the early presidents kept at least one pet while serving as the United States’ chief executive. George Washington kept a number of horses in his personal stables. Among these were Nelson and Blueskin, a pair of steeds that he rode during the Revolutionary War. Washington also took an avid interest in hounds and even created his own breed, the American foxhound. Further, he gave his hounds creative names like Sweet Lips, Drunkard, and Vulcan. Like Washington, John Adams also kept dogs and horses. His presidential pets included a pair of mixed-breed dogs called Juno and Satan and a pair of carriage horses known as Cleopatra and Caesar. Thomas Jefferson did not keep as many pets as Washington or Adams, but he did have a mockingbird named Dick. Jefferson and Dick were close companions, with the president often allowing his feathered friend to fly around his office and sit on his shoulders. Jefferson even taught Dick to take food from his lips. In addition to Dick, Jefferson also famously owned a pair of grizzly bear cubs. The cubs were a gift from explorer Zebulon Pike, who captured them during an early nineteenth century expedition into the American west. The bear cubs lived in a cage on the White House lawn for a time before eventually being transferred to a museum.

Perhaps no other presidents had as many pets as Theodore Roosevelt or Calvin Coolidge. Roosevelt was a noted outdoorsman who kept a wide variety of animals in the White House. In addition to numerous dogs, cats, and horses, Roosevelt’s collection of presidential pets included a snake called Emily Spinach, a badger named Josiah, a group of guinea pigs, a lion, a hyena, a zebra, a flying squirrel, and many other domesticated and wild animals. While perhaps not quite as diverse as Roosevelt’s menagerie, Coolidge’s list of White House pets was equally long. Along with a considerable number of dogs and several cats, Coolidge owned a goose named Enoch, a donkey named Ebenezer, a bobcat named Smoky, and a pair of racoons named Rebecca and Reuben. Coolidge also kept a few more exotic pets given to him by foreign dignitaries, including a wallaby, a pygmy hippopotamus, and a pair of lion cubs.

While they typically have fewer and less exotic pets than some of their predecessors, most modern presidents maintain the tradition of keeping White House pets. George H.W. Bush’s most famous presidential pet was an English springer spaniel named Millie. Millie is best known for “writing” a book called Millie’s Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush while her owner was in office. She also gave birth to a litter of puppies at the White House. One of those pups, Ranger, became another of Bush’s most beloved pets. Another, Spot, eventually returned to live at the White House with George W. Bush and became the only pet to reside there with two different presidents. Bill Clinton’s White House was home to Socks, the most famous First Cat in presidential history. In addition to starring in an unreleased video game, Socks was the subject of an episode of Murphy Brown. Clinton also had a Labrador retriever named Buddy. During his presidency, Barack Obama kept a pair of Portuguese water dogs named Bo and Sunny. Bo, the first Obama dog, was quite popular and starred in several children’s books.

Bibliography

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