{"id":904,"date":"2017-03-06T15:36:56","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T22:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/?p=904"},"modified":"2024-07-25T05:20:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:20:07","slug":"presidential-pets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocklinranchvet.com\/blog\/presidential-pets\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankee Doodle\u2026Doggie? A History of Presidential Pets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Whether you voted for whoever\u2019s in office or not, one thing that unites us as pet lovers is our fascination with presidential pets. From the wild to the whimsical, the animals of the White House have been eclectic, and throughout history, we\u2019ve felt a connection to the Oval Office by way of our shared love of furry friends.<\/p>\n

Presidential Pets: A Distinguished Menagerie<\/h3>\n

While we wait to see if President Trump will finally adopt a four-legged friend, the reality is that our former Commander in Chiefs, liked their animals.<\/p>\n

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Most recently, we\u2019ve had dogs like President Obama\u2019s Bo and Sunny, but history will show that dogs<\/a> and cats<\/a> aren\u2019t the only species to have graced 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Some of the more unusual First Pets include feathered friends, such as parrots owned by George Washington and James Madison, while Thomas Jefferson owned several mockingbirds.<\/p>\n

As for ferocious pets, John Quincy Adams kept an alligator, which was gifted to him by Marquis de Lafayette. In fact, private wildlife menageries were typical among the rich and powerful throughout the 1800s, serving as predecessors to modern-day zoos.<\/p>\n

Adding to Adams\u2019 flair for the wild was our nation\u2019s 15th president James Buchanan, who kept a herd of pachyderms given to him by the King of Siam. He also owned a pair of\u2014what else\u2014symbolically patriotic Bald Eagles.<\/p>\n

Of course, no one could outshine Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s passion for wild and domestic species. His myriad pets included a badger, zebra, a variety of snakes, hyena, and lion, along with cats, dogs, horses, and guinea pigs.<\/p>\n

To add a bit of the provincial to the mix, let\u2019s not forget Woodrow Wilson, whose herd of sheep took care of most of the sprawling White House lawn during his time in office.<\/p>\n

Dogs and Cats of the Oval Office<\/h3>\n

Although more than 200 pets have shared the same Washington D.C. address, not all were quite as unusual as those we just mentioned. Like us, most of our presidents and their families have enjoyed the companionship and good nature of dogs and cats.<\/p>\n

Here are but a few of the more famous meow and paw pals we\u2019ve come to admire:<\/p>\n