United States presidential pets

United States presidents have often kept pets while in office, or pets have been part of their families. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have presidential pets while in office. The pets are often known as "First Pets" of the United States.

List of First 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 – Andalusian donkey, a gift from King Charles III of Spain
 Nelson (1763–1790) and Blueskin – Horses;Breed unknown Washington's wartime mounts
 Snipe – ParrotSpecies unknown  Said to have been owned by First Lady Martha Washington.
 Cornwallis, named for General Cornwallis – Greyhound
 Samson, Steady, Leonidas, Traveller, Magnolia – Stallions John Adams Juno, Mark, and Satan – Dogs
 Cleopatra and Caesar – Horses Thomas Jefferson Dick – mockingbird; Dick was the favorite from among at least four mockingbirds the president had while in office
 Bergère and Grizzle – shepherd dogs from France, possibly Briards
 Two grizzly bear cubs,Name unknown male & female pair, gifted from Captain Zebulon Pike; deeming them "too dangerous & troublesome for me to keep", Jefferson gave them to Charles Willson Peale for his museum in Philadelphia
 Caractacus – horse, named after Caratacus, a 1st-century British chieftain; offspring of Jefferson's mare Allycroker and a Godolphin Arabian named Young Fearnought James Madison Polly – Parrot, outlived both James and Dolley Madison James Monroe Spaniel – Belonged to youngest daughter, Maria Hester Monroe John Quincy Adams SilkwormsNumber unknown – First Lady Louisa Adams spun their silk.
  An alligator – Said to have belonged to Marquis de Lafayette and housed for two months in the East Room, Although this story has been widely circulated, the lack of evidence from contemporary accounts or official records suggests an apocryphal myth. Andrew Jackson Polly (or "Poll") – grey parrot, learned to swear (later attended Jackson's funeral but had to be removed due to loud and persistent profanity)
 Fighting cocks
 Bolivia, Emily, Lady Nashville, Sam Patch, and Truxton – Horses Sam Patch was named after the famous daredevil known as "The Yankee Leaper" Martin Van Buren Briefly owned two tiger cubs given to him by Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman before Congress forced him to donate the tigers to the zoo  This story, however, might be the result of a misunderstanding. William Henry Harrison Sukey – Durham cow
 Goat John Tyler Le Beau – Italian Greyhound
 Johnny Ty – canary
 the General – Horse James K. Polk None Zachary Taylor Old Whitey – horse Taylor's wartime mount
 Apollo – Pony; formerly a "trick pony" from a circus, a present for Taylor's daughter Betty and resided in the White House stables with Old Whitey 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 Lincolnright|thumb|Old Bob caparisoned in a mourning blanket at Abraham Lincoln's funeral
 Nanny and Nanko – goats
 Jack – Turkey, intended as Christmas dinner, but Tad Lincoln intervened
 Fido – dog, "assassinated" by a drunk with a knife, a few months after Lincoln's assassination; "Fido" became a generic name for a dog because of Lincoln's famous dog
 Jip – Dog
 Tabby and Dixie – cats.  Lincoln once remarked that Dixie "is smarter than my whole cabinet."
 Horse
 Rabbit
 Old Bob – Horse Andrew Johnson None, however, Johnson fed white mice he found in his bedroom Ulysses S. Grant Butcher's Boy, Cincinnati, Egypt, Jeff Davis (his wartime mount), Jennie, Julia, Mary, and St. Louis – Horses. Grant purchased Butcher's Boy from a butcher following an impromptu race on D.C. streets where he lost to this horse pulling a butcher's cart. Cincinnati was a thoroughbred of renowned racing pedigree.
 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 (presumably named after the Italian general)
 Siam – First Siamese cat in the United States
 Miss Pussy – Siamese cat James A. Garfield Kit – horse
 Veto – Dog Chester A. Arthur Rabbit
 Three horses Grover Cleveland Hector – Japanese poodle
 Mockingbirds
 Three Dachshunds Benjamin Harrison 
 Whiskers ("His Whiskers," or "Old Whiskers") – goat, kept at the White House for the president's grandchildren; may have belonged to Russell Harrison
 Dash – collie
 Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection – opossums, named from the 1896 Republican party platform, which includes: "Protection and reciprocity are twin measures of Republican policy and go hand in hand."
 Two alligators – According to one account, Russell Harrison kept two alligators in the White House conservatorySan Francisco Chronicle.  "Russell Harrison’s Alligator Didn't Influence His Friends' Luck."  9 May 1890.  Via:  William McKinley Washington Post – Yellow-headed Mexican parrot; could whistle "Yankee Doodle"
 Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome – Angora kittens; named after Spanish general Valeriano Weyler and Spanish ambassador Enrique Dupuy de Lôme
 Roosters Theodore Roosevelt thumb|right|Archie riding Algonquin right|thumb|Roosevelt family with Skip right|thumb|upright|Illustration of Slippers, the White House cat 
 Admiral Dewey, Bishop Doane, Dr. Johnson, Father O'Grady, Fighting Bob Evans – guinea pigs; namesakes: George Dewey, William Croswell Doane, (likely John O'Grady (priest)) and Robley D. Evans
 Algonquin – "Calico pony" (Shetland), favored by Roosevelt's son Archie
 Baron Spreckle – Hen, likely named after sugar baron Claus Spreckels
 Bill the Lizard – lizard, brought from California and described as a "horned frog" (cf. horned toad); likely named after Lewis Carroll's Bill the Lizard.
 Blackjack – Manchester Terrier
 Eli Yale – Hyacinth macaw Named after the British merchant (also College namesake)
 Emily Spinach – garter snake, so named by Roosevelt's daughter Alice because "it was as green as spinach and as thin as my Aunt Emily"
 Fedelity – pony
 Gem and Susan – dogs
 Jack  and Peter – Terriers
 Jonathan Edwards – small black bear from West Virginia named after the religious leader, an ancestor of Mrs. Roosevelt; eventually sent to the Bronx Zoo
 Jonathan – Piebald rat
 Josiah (or "Josh") – Badger During a railroad tour of the West, the president acquired two-week-old Josiah at a stop in Sharon Springs, Kansas
 Manchu – Pekingese
 Maude – Pig
 Peter Rabbit – Rabbit; was given a "proper state" funeral Cf. Peter Rabbit.
 Pete – Bull Terrier, exiled to Long Island "after chomping on one too many legs"
 Rollo – Saint Bernard
 Skip – mongrel
 Sailor Boy – Chesapeake Bay Retriever
 Tom Quartz and Slippers – Cats, Tom Quartz was named after a cat in a Mark Twain story.
 Bill – laughing hyena, gift from Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia
 Barn owl
 Fierce – one-legged rooster William Howard Taft Caruso – dog, a gift for Taft's daughter Helen from opera singer Enrico Caruso; after a White House performance, he decided that cows were not appropriate pets for a little girl
 Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne – Cows.  Pauline (or "Miss Wayne") was a Holstein of considerable fame; she "went missing" for two days. Woodrow Wilson Davie – Airedale Terrier
 Old Ike – Ram, led the flock of sheep
 Puffins – cat
 Bruce – Bull Terrier
 songbirds
 Sheep, numbering 48 at its peak, the flock kept the White House lawn trimmed "in the most economical way"; the wool being sold to benefit the Red Cross Warren G. Hardingthumb|upright|right|Laddie Boy
 Laddie Boy (July 26, 1920 – January 23, 1929) – Airedale Terrier
 Old Boy – Bulldog
 Petey – canary
 Pete – Squirrel Calvin Coolidgethumb|upright|Portrait of Rob Roy and Grace Coolidge
 Rob Roy (1922–1928) and Prudence Prim – White collies
 Peter Pan – Wirehair Fox Terrier, the Coolidges' first White House dog;
 Paul Pry – Airedale Terrier, half-brother of Warren Harding's Laddy Boy
 Calamity Jane – Shetland Sheepdog
 Tiny Tim and Blackberry – Chow Chows
 Ruby Rouch – collie
 Boston Beans – Boston bulldog
 King Cole – Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael)
 Palo Alto ("Palo") – A black and white English Setter, a bird dog that Coolidge soon gave to Colonel Starling, chief of the Secret Service detail in the White House
 Bessie – collie
 Rebecca – raccoon, Rebecca was intended for a Thanksgiving feast; First Lady Grace had a tree-house built for her instead
 Reuben – A male raccoon acquired as a companion for Rebecca; soon escaped and not recovered
 Ebeneezer – Donkey
 Nip and Tuck – canaries, both olive green in color; the Coolidges' first birds
 Peter Piper and Snowflake – Two more canaries; Snowflake was white
 Goldy – A "yellow bird"
 Do-Funny – a trained songbird (troupial) from South America; said to be Mrs. Coolidge's favorite bird
 Enoch – goose
 Smoky – bobcat
 Blacky and Tiger (or "Tige") – cats
 Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau – lion cubs from Johannesburg, South Africa
 Billy – pygmy hippopotamus, full name:  William Johnson Hippopotamus
 A wallaby – Promptly given to a zoo
 A duiker (a very small type of antelope) — Also sent to the zoo
 Bruno – A black bear from Chihuahua, Mexico; Mrs. Coolidge promptly sent him to a zoo
 Pekin Ducks – Thirteen ducklings were received as an Easter gift; Mrs. Coolidge attempted to raise them in a White House bathroom, but eventually sent them to a zoo Herbert Hooverright|thumb|upright|Herbert Hoover with King Tut
 Billy Possum – A wild opossum that occupied Rebecca's vacant tree-house and was "adopted" by the Hoovers; temporarily filled in for a local high school's missing mascot  The name likely derives from a nickname used for the 27th President, William Howard Taft.
 Caruso – A Roller canary
 King Tut – Belgian ShepherdAmy Ruth, Herbert Hoover, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004, . p. 64. (Malinois variety)
 Pat – German Shepherd
 Big Ben and Sonnie – Fox TerriersWayne Bryant Eldridge, Tom Kerr The Best Pet Name Book Ever!, Barron's Educational Series, 2003, . p. 29.
 Glen – Scotch Collie
 Yukonan – Canadian Eskimo DogChoron, 20.
 Patrick – Irish Wolfhound
 Eaglehurst Gillette – Setter
 Weegie – Norwegian Elkhound Franklin D. Rooseveltright|thumb|upright|FDR and Fala (1940)
 Fala (April 7, 1940 – April 5, 1952) – Scottish Terrier
 Major – German Shepherd Formerly a police dog from the New York State Police
 Meggie – Scottish Terrier
 Winks – Llewellyn Setter
 Tiny – Old English Sheepdog
 President – Great Dane
 Blaze – Bullmastiff Harry S. Truman Feller – Cocker Spaniel, because the Trumans "preferred to be a pet-free family" he was given as a puppy to Truman's personal physician (slide 11/26)
 Mike – Irish Setter Dwight D. Eisenhower Gabby – parakeet
 Heidi – Weimaraner John F. Kennedyright|thumb|upright|Kennedy family and dogs
 Gaullie – poodleSally Bedell Smith, Grace And Power, Random House, Inc., 2006, , p. 219.
 Charlie – Welsh Terrier
 Tom Kitten – cat
 Robin – canary
 Bluebell and Marybelle – parakeets
 Ducks –  JFK's daughter, five-year-old Caroline raised ducklings at the White House. Ongoing conflicts with their terrier Charlie prompted sending them to Rock Creek Park.
 Macaroni – ponySmith, 125.
 Tex – bay Yucatan pony
 Leprechaun – Connemara pony, a gift from President of Ireland, Éamon de Valera
 Moe – Doberman Pinscher
 Billie and Debbie – hamsters
 Pushinka – dog (gift of Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, puppy of Soviet space dog Strelka)
 Shannon – Cocker Spaniel
 Wolf – Dog, mix of Irish Wolfhound and Schnauzer
 Clipper – German Shepherd
 Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker – Offspring of Pushinka and Charlie
 Zsa Zsa – rabbit
 Sardar – horseSmith, 293, 489. Lyndon B. Johnsonthumb|upright|LBJ with Him
 Him and Her – beaglesBryant, Traphes, with Frances Spatz Leighton, Dog Days at the White House: The Outrageous Memoirs of the Presidential Kennel Keeper, New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1975. 
 Edgar – beagleLyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum President Johnson's Dogs 
 Blanco – white collie
 Freckles – beagle
 Yuki – mongrel dog  famous for "singing duets" (howling) with the President for White House guests
 hamsters
 lovebirds Richard Nixonright|thumb|King Timahoe, Vicki and Pasha looking out the window in the White House
 Vicki – poodle
 Pasha – terrier
 King Timahoe – Irish SetterBauer, 8.
 Checkers (1952– September 9, 1964) – Cocker Spaniel Gerald Ford 
 Liberty (February 8, 1974 – 1984) – Golden Retriever
 Lucky – dog
 Misty – Liberty's puppy, born in the White House
 Shan – Siamese catFord Presidential Library and Museum, Ford Family White House and Pets  Jimmy Carterthumb|163x163px|Amy Carter with her cat Misty Malarky Ying Yang
 Grits – Border collie (mix); Given to his daughter Amy by her teacher, but quickly returned after snapping at several White House visitors
 Lewis Brown – Afghan hound
 Misty Malarky Ying Yang, daughter Amy Carter's pet – Siamese catStephen Bauer, At Ease in the White House: Social Life as Seen by a Presidential Military Aide, Taylor Trade Publications, 2004. . p. 224. Ronald Reagan 
 Lucky (October 4, 1983 – January 5, 1995) – Bouvier des FlandresStanley Coren, Why Does My Dog Act That Way?, Simon and Schuster, 2007, . p. 6.Stanley Coren, Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality, Simon and Schuster, 2000, . p. 5.
 Rex (December 16, 1984 – August 31, 1998) – Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.Coren, Why Does my Dog..., 7.
 Victory – Golden Retriever
 Peggy – Irish Setter
 Taca – Siberian Husky
 Fuzzy – Belgian sheepdog
 Horses (El Alamein, Nancy D, Baby, Little Man, and others) at Rancho del Cielo
 Cleo and Sara - tortoiseshell cats at Rancho del Cielo George H. W. Bush right|thumb|Millie
 Millie (January 12, 1985 – May 19, 1997) – Springer Spaniel.
 Ranger (March 17, 1989 – April 10, 1993) – one of Millie's puppiesSandra Choron, Planet Dog: A Doglopedia, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005, . p. 21.George H. W. Bush, All the Best, George Bush Simon and Schuster, 2000, p. 595, correspondence from September 10, 1996,  Bill Clintonright|thumb|Socks
 Socks (March 15, 1989 – February 20, 2009) – The Clintons' cat.
 Buddy (August 7, 1997 – January 2, 2002) – Bill's chocolate Labrador retriever George W. Bushright|thumb|upright|India
 Spot "Spotty" Fetcher (March 17, 1989 – February 21, 2004) – female English Springer Spaniel named after Scott Fletcher; Puppy of Millie; Euthanized after suffering a series of strokes.
 Barney (September 30, 2000 – February 1, 2013) – Scottish Terrier.
 Miss Beazley (October 28, 2004 – May 17, 2014) – Scottish Terrier; Nicknamed "Beazley Weazley"; 2005 birthday gift from George to his wife.
 India "Willie" – cat (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009)
 Ofelia – Longhorn cow (lives at Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch) Barack Obamaright|thumb|Bo and Sunny
 Bo (October 9, 2008 – May 8, 2021) – Portuguese Water Dog.
 Sunny (born June 11, 2012) – Portuguese Water Dog. Donald TrumpNone Joe Bidenright|thumb|Biden with Champ and Major
 Champ (October 2008 – June 19, 2021) – German Shepherd Dog
Major (born January 2018) – German Shepherd Dog
Key

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References

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