Presidential Pets – Pets of the White House

Your pet probably plays a pretty big role in your life. Pets that have had the privilege to belong to presidents have had the opportunity to play a big role on a national level too! On several occasions throughout history presidential pets have softened the rough edged of their owners to the public eye. Some of the more exotic pets were often gifts from foreign leaders – one leader even gifted a whole herd of elephants! There have been approximately 256 presidential pets that have called the White House home. Here is a look at some of the noteworthy mentions!

Presidential Pets

• Theodore Roosevelt had the most pets of any president with a total of 39! His large collection included: 5 guinea pigs, 2 ponies, a hen, lizard, blue macaw, garter snake, 10 dogs, a bear, rat, badger, pig, rabbit, 2 cats, a hyena, barn owl, and a one-legged rooster!
• George Washington had 3 American Staghounds, 4 coonhounds, 2 horses, and a donkey. His wife Martha had a parrot
• John Quincy Adams, the 6th president kept silkworms
• Martin Van Buren kept two tiger cubs for a while
• James Buchanan had a pet eagle and once received a herd of elephants from the King of Siam – one of which he kept at the White House!
• Abraham Lincoln once joked that his cat Dixie “is smarter than my whole cabinet”.  He also kept a turkey, two goats, two dogs, a horse, and a rabbit
• Andrew Johnson kept no pets, but would feed the mice he found in his bedroom.
• Rutherford B. Hayes kept 8 dogs and was the first president to own a Siamese Cat.
• Benjamin Harrison kept two opossums named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection
• Calvin Coolidge had 26 pets. Among these were 12 dogs, 2 raccoons, a donkey, 2 canaries, a goose, bobcat, cat, 2 lion cubs, a black bear, duiker (miniature antelope), wallaby, and a pygmy hippo!
• Herbert Hoover kept 2 alligators

You can read more about presidential pets and a few of their roles in their owners claim to fame here, at the Presidential Pet Museum website.

photo credit: Glyn Lowe Photoworks. via photopin cc