United States Presidential Pets - wikipedia United States Presidential Pets `` FDOTUS '' redirects here. For First Daughter of the United States, see First Family of the United States. Socks the cat at the podium in the White House Press Briefing Room in 1993 Grace Coolidge with Laddie Boy, an Airedale Terrier, and Rob Roy, a white Collie United States Presidents and their families have often had pets while serving in office. Contents 1 History of White House dogs 2 List of Presidential pets 3 See also 4 Further reading 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links History of White House Dogs The first White House dog to receive regular newspaper coverage was Warren G. Harding 's dog Laddie Boy. Pets also featured on presidential elections. Herbert Hoover got a Belgian shepherd dog, King Tut, during his campaign and pictures of him with his new dog were sent all across the United States. In 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt was running for his fourth term when rumors surfaced that his Scottish Terrier, Fala, had accidentally been left behind when visiting the Aleutian Islands. After allegedly sending back ships to rescue his dog, Roosevelt was ridiculed and accused of spending thousands of taxpayers ' dollars to retrieve his dog. At a speech following this Roosevelt said, `` you can criticize me, my wife and my family, but you ca n't criticize my little dog. He 's Scotch and all these allegations about spending all this money have just made his little soul furious. '' What was later called the `` Fala Speech '' reportedly helped secure re-election for Roosevelt. Miss Beazley, a Scottish Terrier given to Laura Bush by her husband Richard Nixon was accused of hiding a secret slush fund during his candidacy for vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. He gave the televised `` Checkers speech '' named after his cocker spaniel, denying he had a slush fund but admitting, `` there is one thing that I did get as a gift that I 'm not going to give back. '' The gift was a black - and - white cocker spaniel, Checkers, given to his daughters. Although there had been talk of Nixon being dropped from the ticket, following his speech he received an increase in support and Mamie Eisenhower reportedly recommended he stay because he was `` such a warm person. '' Animal lovers were upset when President Lyndon B. Johnson was photographed picking his two Beagle dogs named Him and Her up by their ears. Others did not understand the uproar ; former President Harry S. Truman said, `` What the hell are the critics complaining about ; that 's how you handle hounds. '' List of Presidential Pets President Pet ( s ) George Washington Sweetlips, Scentwell, and Vulcan ( among others ) -- American Foxhounds Drunkard, Taster, Tipler, and Tipsy -- Black and Tan Coonhounds Royal Gift -- Donkey, a gift from King Charles III of Spain Nelson and Blueskin -- Horses Parrot -- Said to have been owned by First Lady Martha Washington. Cornwallis, named for General Cornwallis -- Greyhound ( dog ) Samson, Steady, Leonidas, Traveller, Magnolia -- Stallions John Adams Juno, Mark, and Satan -- Dogs Cleopatra and Caesar -- Horse Thomas Jefferson Dick -- Mockingbird Buzzy and unknown -- Briards ( dogs ) Two bear cubs Caractacus -- Horse James Madison Polly -- Parrot James Monroe Spaniel -- Belonged to youngest daughter, Maria Monroe Sebastian -- Siberian Husky John Quincy Adams Silkworms An Alligator, received as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. Andrew Jackson Polly -- parrot ( taught to swear ) Fighting cocks Bolivia, Emily, Lady Nashville, Sam Patch, and Truxton -- Horses Martin Van Buren Briefly owned two tiger cubs given to him by the Sultan of Oman before Congress forced him to donate the tigers to the zoo William Henry Harrison Sukey -- Durham cow Goat * John Tyler Le Beau -- Italian Greyhound Johnny Ty -- Canary The General -- Horse James K. Polk No known pets Zachary Taylor Old Whitey -- Horse Millard Fillmore Mason and Dixon -- Ponies Franklin Pierce At least two miniature `` teacup '' Japanese Chin dogs, part of a gift exchange with Japan following the Perry Expedition Two birds from Japan, which had just opened its trading posts to the United States. James Buchanan Lara -- Newfoundland Punch -- Toy Terrier Eagle Abraham Lincoln Nanny and Nanko -- goats Jack -- Turkey Fido -- Dog Jip -- Dog Tabby and Dixie - Cats. Lincoln once remarked that Dixie `` is smarter than my whole cabinet. '' Horse Rabbit Andrew Johnson Fed white mice he found in his bedroom Ulysses S. Grant Butcher Boy, Cincinnatus ( a gift from the citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio ), Egypt, Jeff Davis ( his wartime mount ), Jennie, Julia, Mary, and St. Louis -- Horses. Billy Button and Reb -- Ponies Faithful -- Newfoundland Rosie -- Dog Rutherford B. Hayes Dot -- Cocker Spaniel Hector -- Newfoundland Duke -- English Mastiff Grim -- Greyhound Otis -- Miniature Schnauzer Juno and Shep -- Hunting dogs Jet -- Dog Piccolomini -- Cat Siam -- First Siamese cat in the United States Miss Pussy -- Siamese cat - Siam and Miss Pussy were gifts from the King of Siam. James A. Garfield Kit -- Horse Veto -- Dog Chester A. Arthur Rabbit Three horses Grover Cleveland Hector -- Japanese Poodle Mockingbirds Three Dachshunds Benjamin Harrison Dash in front of his doghouse Whiskers ( `` His Whiskers, '' or `` Old Whiskers '' ) -- Goat Dash -- Collie Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection -- Opossums William McKinley Washington Post -- Yellow - headed Mexican parrot Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome -- Angora kittens Roosters Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt family with Skip Illustration of Slippers, the White House cat Admiral Dewey, Bishop Doane, Dr. Johnson, Father O'Grady, Fighting Bob Evans -- guinea pigs Algonquin -- Pony Baron Spreckle -- Hen Bill -- lizard Blackjack -- Manchester Terrier Eli Yale -- Blue macaw Emily Spinach -- Garter snake Fedelity -- Pony Gem and Susan -- Dogs Jack and Peter -- Terriers Jonathan Edwards -- small bear Jonathan -- Piebald rat Josiah -- Badger Manchu -- Pekingese Maude -- Pig Peter -- Rabbit Pete -- Bull Terrier Rollo -- Saint Bernard Skip -- Mongrel Sailor Boy -- Chesapeake Bay Retriever Tom Quartz and Slippers -- Cats Bill -- Laughing hyena, gift from Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia barn owl ; one - legged rooster William Howard Taft Caruso -- Dog Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne -- Cows Woodrow Wilson Davie -- Airedale Terrier Old Ike -- Ram Puffins -- Cat Mountain Boy -- Greyhound Bruce -- Bull Terrier Songbirds Sheep Warren G. Harding Laddie Boy Laddie Boy ( 1920 -- 1929 ) -- Airedale Terrier Old Boy -- Bulldog Petey -- canary Calvin Coolidge Portrait of Rob Roy and Grace Coolidge Rob Roy and Prudence Prim -- White collies Peter Pan -- Terrier Paul Pry -- Airedale Terrier Calamity Jane -- Shetland Sheepdog Tiny Tim and Blackberry -- Chow Chows Ruby Rouch -- Collie Boston Beans -- Bulldog King Cole -- German Shepherd Palo Alto -- Bird dog Bessie -- Collie Rebecca and Horace -- Raccoons Ebeneezer -- Donkey Nip and Tuck -- Canaries Enoch -- Goose Smoky -- Bobcat Tiger -- Cat Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau -- Lion cubs Billy -- Pygmy hippopotamus A wallaby A duiker ( a very small type of antelope ) A black bear Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover with King Tut King Tut -- Belgian Shepherd Pat -- German Shepherd Big Ben and Sonnie -- Fox Terriers Glen -- Scotch Collie Yukonan -- Eskimo dog Patrick -- Irish Wolfhound Eaglehurst Gillette -- Setter Weejie -- Norwegian Elkhound Two alligators Franklin D. Roosevelt FDR and Fala ( 1940 ) Fala ( 1940 -- 1952 ) -- Scottish Terrier Major -- German Shepherd Meggie -- Scottish Terrier Winks -- Llewellyn Setter Tiny -- Old English Sheepdog President -- Great Dane Blaze -- Bullmastiff Harry S. Truman Feller -- Cocker Spaniel Mike -- Irish Setter Dwight D. Eisenhower Heidi -- Weimaraner John F. Kennedy Kennedy family and dogs Gaullie -- Poodle Charlie -- Welsh Terrier Tom Kitten -- Cat Robin -- Canary Bluebell and Marybelle -- Parakeets Macaroni -- Pony Moe ; -- Doberman Pinscher Tex and Leprechaun -- Ponies Debbie and Billie -- Hamsters Pushinka -- dog ( gift of Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, puppy of Soviet space dog Strelka ) Shannon -- Irish Cocker Spaniel Wolf -- Dog, mix of Irish Wolfhound and Schnauzer Clipper -- German Shepherd Dog Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker -- ( offspring of Pushinka and Charlie ) Zsa Zsa -- Rabbit Sardar -- Horse Lyndon B. Johnson LBJ with Him Him and Her -- Beagles Edgar -- Beagle Blanco -- white Collie Freckles -- Beagle Yuki -- Mongrel dog Hamsters and lovebirds Richard Nixon King Timahoe, Vicki and Pasha looking out the window in the White House Vicki -- Poodle Pasha -- Terrier King Timahoe -- Irish Setter Checkers ( 1952 -- 1964 ) -- Cocker Spaniel Gerald Ford Susan Ford, daughter of Gerald Ford, and the family 's siamese cat, Shan, in 1974 Ford and Liberty in the Oval Office Liberty ( 1974 -- 1984 ) -- Golden Retriever Lucky -- Dog * Misty -- ( Liberty 's puppy born in the White House ) Shan -- Siamese cat Jimmy Carter Grits -- Border Collie ; Given to his daughter Amy by her teacher, but quickly returned. Lewis Brown -- Afghan Hound Misty Malarky Ying Yang, daughter Amy Carter 's pet -- Siamese cat Ronald Reagan Rex Ronald Reagan on El Alamein Lucky -- Bouvier des Flandres Rex ( 1984 -- 1998 ) -- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Victory -- Golden Retriever Peggy -- Irish Setter m Taca -- Siberian Husky Fuzzy -- Belgian sheepdog Horses at Rancho del Cielo George H.W. Bush Millie Millie ( 1985 -- 1997 ) -- Springer Spaniel. Ranger -- one of Millie 's puppies Bill Clinton Socks Socks ( 1989 -- 2009 ) -- Chelsea 's cat. Buddy ( 1997 -- 2002 ) -- Bill 's chocolate Labrador Retriever George W. Bush India Spot `` Spotty '' Fetcher ( 1989 -- 2004 ) -- female English Springer Spaniel named after Scott Fletcher ; Puppy of Millie ; Euthanized after suffering a series of strokes. Barney ( 2000 -- 2013 ) -- Scottish Terrier. Miss Beazley ( 2004 -- 2014 ) -- Scottish Terrier ; Nicknamed `` Beazley Weazley '' ; 2005 birthday gift from George to his wife. India `` Willie '' -- cat ( 1990 -- 2009 ) Ofelia -- Longhorn cow ( lives at Bush 's Prairie Chapel Ranch ) Barack Obama Bo and Sunny Bo ( born October 9, 2008 ) -- Portuguese Water Dog. Sunny ( born June 11, 2012 ) -- Portuguese Water Dog. Donald Trump No known pets ^ Jump up to : Number unknown ^ Jump up to : Breed unknown ^ Jump up to : Name unknown ^ Jump up to : Species unknown See also Canadian Parliamentary Cats Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, United Kingdom Hermitage cats in Saint Petersburg, Russia Pets of Vladimir Putin Tibs the Great Cats of the President of Taiwan Pets of the British Royal Family Pets in the United Kingdom Further reading Truman, Margaret ( 1969 ). White House Pets OCLC 70279 ; eBook ( 2016 ) ISBN 9781612309392 Notes Jump up ^ Washington was an avid dog breeder ; he called the breed that he was developing `` Virginia Hounds '' which became the American Foxhound Jump up ^ Number uncertain, perhaps received as many as seven. `` Pierce was thought to have kept one dog, and he gave the other to his Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis. Davis was particularly pleased with the dog and was known to have carried it with him in his pocket. '' Jump up ^ Checkers died in 1964, before Nixon became president, but had played a major role in his electoral career References Jump up ^ `` Presidential Pet Museum ''. Presidential Pet Museum. Retrieved June 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Famous and Forgotten, Toledo 's Laddie Boy, The First Presidential Pet Archived August 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` 1944 Radio News, 1944 - 09 - 23 FDR Teamsters Union Address -- Fala ( 27 : 45 -- 30 : 08 ) ''. Internet Archive. Retrieved July 14, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Presidential pets of the past ''. K-state.edu. September 23, 1952. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2011. Jump up ^ DVM : The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine ; Oct2008, Vol. 39 Issue 10, p22 - 22, 2 / 3p Jump up ^ Ethan Trex. `` mental_floss Blog '' The Bizarre History of White House Pets ``. Mentalfloss.com. Retrieved June 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Pamela Redmond Satran ( November 5, 2012 ). `` Do You Have a Dog in This Election ? Pets Are Presidential ''. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 19, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Soldier, Statesman, Dog - Lover : George Washington 's Pups ''. George Washington 's Mount Vernon. Jump up ^ `` American Foxhound History & Training / Temperament ''. American Kennel Club. Retrieved 27 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : Choron, 20. Jump up ^ Mary Brigid Barrett. `` Presidential Menageries : Washington 's Mules and Hounds ''. Our White House. The National Children 's Book and Literacy Alliance. Retrieved 5 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Nelson ( Horse ) ''. George Washington 's Mount Vernon. ^ Jump up to : `` Spring 1999 : Presidential Pets ''. Inside the White House. nara.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Wolf, Alissa. `` First Pets : A History of Critters in the White House ''. About.com. Retrieved October 2, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Calkhoven, Laurie ( 2007 ). George Washington : An American Life. Edison, NJ : Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 91. ISBN 9781402735462. ^ Jump up to : `` White House Pets ( 1789 -- 1850 ) -- Presidential Pet Museum ''. Retrieved September 10, 2016. Jump up ^ `` James Monroe Biography -- Presidential Pet Museum ''. Presidential Pet Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2017. Jump up ^ The Handy Science Answer Book. Visible Ink Press. 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My ! Animals at the White House ''. Retrieved September 10, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Longley, Robert ( 29 June 2017 ). `` First Pets : Animals in the White House ''. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 11 July 2017. Jump up ^ The Handy Science Answer Book. Visible Ink Press. 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Kate Kelly ( 5 August 2015 ). `` Teacup Dogs Owned by President Franklin Pierce ''. America Comes Alive. Retrieved 27 August 2017. Jump up ^ Abraham Lincoln 's Cats Jump up ^ Kate Kelly ( 13 July 2016 ). `` Grover Cleveland 's Dogs and Other Pets ''. America Comes Alive. Retrieved 5 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Pets in the White House ''. White House for Kids. nara.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2012. Jump up ^ U.S. Presidents : Truth and Rumors By Sean Price, Sean Stewart Price. Coughlan Publishing, 2010, Page 14 : Accessed Via Google Books Search April 27, 2011. Quote under Presidential Pets : `` Benjamin Harrison let a pair of pet opossums run around. '' ^ Jump up to : `` The Roosevelt Pets ''. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 21, 2012. ( Reprinted from the National Archives and Records Administration ) Jump up ^ `` America 's First Presidential Hyena ''. Ethiopianism - Ethiopiawinet Online Revival. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2017. Jump up ^ Betsy ( July 1, 2013 ). `` Pay a Call on Petey the Canary at Warren G. Harding 's Marion Home ''. ^ Jump up to : Stephen Bauer, At Ease in the White House : Social Life as Seen by a Presidential Military Aide, Taylor Trade Publications, 2004. ISBN 1 - 58979 - 079 - 0. pp 224. ^ Jump up to : Sandra Choron, Planet Dog : A Doglopedia, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005, ISBN 0 - 618 - 51752 - 9. pp 21. Jump up ^ Amy Ruth, Herbert Hoover, Twenty - First Century Books, 2004, ISBN 0 - 8225 - 0821 - 4. pp 64. Jump up ^ Wayne Bryant Eldridge, Tom Kerr The Best Pet Name Book Ever !, Barron 's Educational Series, 2003, ISBN 0 - 7641 - 2499 - 4. pp 29. Jump up ^ Herbert Hoover Biography Jump up ^ `` President Truman 's Dog, Feller ''. Highland-ohio.com. January 12, 1948. Retrieved June 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Sally Bedell Smith, Grace And Power, Random House, Inc., 2006, ISBN 0 - 345 - 48497 - 5, pp 219. ^ Jump up to : `` Pets -- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum ''. Jfklibrary.org. December 3, 1961. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved June 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Smith, 125. Jump up ^ Morrow, Laurie Bogart, The Giant Book of Dog Names, p. 414 Jump up ^ JFK 's German Shepherd Dog, Clipper Jump up ^ Smith, 293, 489. ^ Jump up to : Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum President Johnson 's Dogs Archived July 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : Bryant, Traphes, with Frances Spatz Leighton, Dog Days at the White House : The Outrageous Memoirs of the Presidential Kennel Keeper, New York : Macmillan Publishing, 1975. ISBN 0 - 671 - 80533 - 9 Jump up ^ `` Lyndon B. Johnson 's Pet Info ''. Exoticdogs.com. Retrieved June 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Richard M. Nixon ''. June 5, 2004. Archived from the original on June 5, 2004. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ Bauer, 8. Jump up ^ Ford Presidential Library and Museum, Ford Family White House and Pets Jump up ^ Tribune, Chicago. `` Presidential pets ''. chicagotribune.com. Jump up ^ `` Presidential Pooch -- Grits, the Impeached First Dog Bully Sticks ''. Bullysticksinfo.com. November 21, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Ronald Reagan Presidential Library ''. Reagan.utexas.edu. Retrieved June 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Stanley Coren, Why Does My Dog Act That Way ?, Simon and Schuster, 2007, ISBN 0 - 7432 - 7707 - 4. pp 6. ^ Jump up to : Stanley Coren, Why We Love the Dogs We Do : How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality, Simon and Schuster, 2000, ISBN 0 - 684 - 85502 - X. pp. 5. Jump up ^ Coren, Why Does my Dog..., 7. Jump up ^ George H.W. Bush, All the Best, George Bush Simon and Schuster, 2000, pp 595, correspondence from September 10, 1996, ISBN 0 - 7432 - 0048 - 9, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7432 - 0048 - 6 ^ Jump up to : Bailey, Holly ( April 24, 2013 ). `` Laura Bush : New library is not ' a monument ' to her husband ''. Yahoo News. Retrieved April 24, 2013. Jump up ^ Barack Obama ( August 19, 2013 ). `` Meet the newest member of the Obama family : Sunny ''. Facebook. Retrieved August 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Hannah August ( August 19, 2013 ). `` Meet Sunny : The Obamas ' New Puppy ''. The White House Blog. Retrieved August 20, 2013. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pets of presidents of the United States. Presidential Pets Museum -- Private museum in Glen Allen, Virginia Pets in the White House -- White House for Kids ( official Clinton archive ) Morrow, Laurie Bogart, The Giant Book of Dog Names, p. 414 Presidential Pets Leave Their Mark in The Jackson Sun, Accessed March 7, 2017. 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Question: which u.s. president had a cocker spaniel named checkers
Answer: Richard Nixon