This February as we prepare to honor and remember all of our Presidents, past and current, we should also remember their furry family members who inhabited that big white house in Washington, DC. The White House has been home to many First Pets over the years. While the majority of these pets have consisted of dogs, the White House has also housed more unconventional pets such as alligators and hippos and also several farm animals.
Some of the President's that have had pets in the Oval Office in Washington, DC over the past 50 years include:
John F. Kennedy: President Kennedy and his family seem to win the award for the most pets to reside in the White House. They had animals ranging from hamsters to birds, from horses to cats, and from dogs to rabbits! I am sure President Kennedy wishes he had pet sitting services available to him during his presidency.
Lyndon B. Johnson: President Johnson had five dogs during his time in Washington, DC, three of which were Beagles. He also had hamsters and lovebirds, as well.
Richard Nixon: President Nixon had three dogs during his stay at the White House. Their names were Vicki, a poodle, Pasha, and Terrier, and King Timahoe, an Irish Setter.
Gerald Ford: President Ford had a Siamese cat named Shan, and two Golden Retrievers named Liberty and Misty. Misty, Liberty's puppy, was actually born in the White House!
Jimmy Carter: President Carter's animals seem to be for his daughter Amy. Amy had a Siamese cat named misty Malarky Ying Yang. I wonder how old Amy was when she named this cat. President Carter had built-in pet sitting services through Amy, lucky him! The Carter's also had an Afghan Hound named Lewis Brown.
Ronald Reagan: The First Pet during President Reagan's term was named Rex, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. President Reagan also had several other dogs of various breeds.
George H. W. Bush: During the first President Bush's presidential reign, First Pet Millie, a Springer Spaniel, ruled the White House.
Bill Clinton: There were two First Pets while the Clintons lived in the White House. Chelsea Clinton had a cat named Socks, and President Clinton had to chocolate Lab named Buddy.
George W. Bush: The Bush family also had several pets during their stay in Washington, DC. First Pet Barney, a Scottish Terrier, lived in the White House, while some of the other family pets resided at the Bush Ranch in Texas.
Barack Obama: Current President, Barack Obama, only has one pet living in the White House with his family. Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, is the current First Pet of the United States.
As you can see, pets are no strangers to the White House. The White House needs on-site pet sitting services available to the President and their families! It is nice to see that we have had so many animal loving Presidents throughout history. Not only have so many President's had a pet as part of their family; some of their pets have played a role in past Presidential campaigns. While we have grown to love many of our President's we have also grown to know and love their pets.
Becky O'Neil is a pet expert and owner of Becky's Pet Care a professional dog walker and pet sitting services provider in the Washington DC area.
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