Pets often help presidents and their families cope with the incredible pressures of being under the microscope. Some 400 beasts have occupied the White House, and some of the earlier presidents had a passion for the exotic. Thomas Jefferson kept grizzly bears in a cage in his garden. John Quincy Adams let his alligator reside in a White House bathtub. And Calvin Coolidge had a virtual menagerie that included a bobcat, two raccoons, a donkey and a wallaby.
Problem is, sometimes the first pet has become something of a political liability.
Lyndon B. Johnson provoked a firestorm of animal cruelty accusations when he picked up his beagles, Him and Her, by their ears so that photographers could get a better shot. Anthony reports that Coolidge's collie Rob Roy once menaced a senator at lunch. The senator relented. Pet controversies are as old as the White House itself. He was knifed to death in the street by a drunk who became angry when the dog jumped on him with muddy paws.