A History of Presidential Pets

The presidential pet is one of the most important members of Congress, and just like presidents many have come and gone. George Washington had a Dalmatian, and almost every president after has had an animal of their own. From dogs to cats to even raccoons, there is an interesting history of presidential pets. While we can’t discuss everyone, we did want to shine a light on some favorites. Here’s a (brief) history of presidential pets.

Abraham Lincoln’s Best Friends

Abraham Lincoln’s first presidential dog was named Fido. (Can you believe that?) When the Lincoln family moved to Washington, they had to let him go but he was quickly replaced by Jip, who loved Tad Lincoln and never left his side. As animal lovers, we know that a dog can be a huge responsibility, but what about a dog, goats, cats, rabbits, and even a turkey? You can imagine how loud the White House was during his presidency.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s Doggie Duo

President Johnson absolutely adored dogs. During his presidency, he owned five dogs total. His favorites, Him and Her (beagles), Freckles (also a beagle), Blanco (a collie), and Yuki (a mutt). Johnson’s adoration for his dogs was shown in tons of ways, more notably in the expansion of the White House dog house. He even let them attend state matters. How cool is that? Along with dogs, he also had hamsters and birds.

Gerald Ford’s Lady Liberty

Lady Liberty is a symbol of second chances in the US. It’s also what President Ford named his favorite Golden Retriever. Miss Liberty gave birth to nine puppies within the White House, one of whom was named Misty and was raised by the Ford Family. President Ford also had a dog named Lucky and a Siamese cat named Shan. 

George W. Bush’s Best Buddy

The Bush Family had quite a few pets: Scottish Terriers (Barney and Miss Beazley), a cat named India, and even Spot, who is Bush’s father’s dog’s puppy (try saying that 5 times fast!). During his presidency, Bush went where no other president had gone before: he set up BarneyCam. If you don’t remember, BarneyCam was a series of videos that followed Barney the Scottish Terrier as he lived his life in the White House. It was exhilarating. 

Joe Biden’s German Shepherds

The current POTUS, Joe Biden, has favored German Shepherds all throughout his life. Currently, he has two shepherds, Champ and Major. He’s had Champ since his vice presidency in 2008 and adopted Major from a shelter in 2018. In fact, Major is the first shelter pet to make it into the White House. He’s already making history!