Pets in the White House Through the Years

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Pets in the White House Through the Years

Even first families are pet lovers! From the earliest days of the United States government, presidents have brought furry friends along to the White House. While many U.S. leaders have kept their pets to the traditional cat or dog, politicians dating back to the 1700s owned more exotic companions, like horses, bear cubs and parrots. As time went on, presidents' animal friends became as revered as the candidates themselves. Ahead of his first presidential election win in 2008, Barack Obama promised daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog if his campaign came out on top. "I love you both more than you can imagine. You have earned the puppy that is coming with us!" he teased during his victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park in November 2008. The Obamas brought home Bo, a Portuguese water dog, in April 2009. Months after his second inauguration in January 2013, the former Senator and his family added Sunny to the mix. When the Obama family moved out of the White House in early 2017, the former first dogs had to get acquainted with the way everyday pets live. "They're just now going to the door when the doorbell rings," Michelle Obama joked during a December 2018 talk at Barclay's Center in New York City. "It's taken them two years. It's the door, people are coming!" [jwplayer i4bMnfpP-zhNYySv2] Barack's successor, President Donald Trump, was the first White House occupant to not have a pet while in office since James K. Polk, the 11th U.S. president. Dog lovers rejoiced after former V.P. Joe Biden's projected 2020 election win because his family's two German shepherds, Champ and Major, would be joining him in D.C. The Pennsylvania native and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, got Champ in late 2008 and adopted Major 10 years later from the Delaware Humane Association. During an Iowa campaign event in 2019, Joe said their second puppy came along at the perfect time. "My vet said, 'Your shepherd's 12 years old. He's getting slow. The best thing to keep him going is [to] get another little puppy,'" the president-elect recalled, joking that his elder dog "thinks he's Secret Service."

The Bidens confirmed in June 2021 that their dog Champ died at age 13.

“Our hearts are heavy today," the twosome wrote in a statement at the time. “Even as Champ's strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub. Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us."

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Pets in the White House Through the Years

Even first families are pet lovers! From the earliest days of the United States government, presidents have brought furry friends along to the White House. While many U.S. leaders have kept their pets to the traditional cat or dog, politicians dating back to the 1700s owned more exotic companions, like horses, bear cubs and parrots. As time went on, presidents' animal friends became as revered as the candidates themselves. Ahead of his first presidential election win in 2008, Barack Obama promised daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog if his campaign came out on top. "I love you both more than you can imagine. You have earned the puppy that is coming with us!" he teased during his victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park in November 2008. The Obamas brought home Bo, a Portuguese water dog, in April 2009. Months after his second inauguration in January 2013, the former Senator and his family added Sunny to the mix. When the Obama family moved out of the White House in early 2017, the former first dogs had to get acquainted with the way everyday pets live. "They're just now going to the door when the doorbell rings," Michelle Obama joked during a December 2018 talk at Barclay's Center in New York City. "It's taken them two years. It's the door, people are coming!" [jwplayer i4bMnfpP-zhNYySv2] Barack's successor, President Donald Trump, was the first White House occupant to not have a pet while in office since James K. Polk, the 11th U.S. president. Dog lovers rejoiced after former V.P. Joe Biden's projected 2020 election win because his family's two German shepherds, Champ and Major, would be joining him in D.C. The Pennsylvania native and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, got Champ in late 2008 and adopted Major 10 years later from the Delaware Humane Association. During an Iowa campaign event in 2019, Joe said their second puppy came along at the perfect time. "My vet said, 'Your shepherd's 12 years old. He's getting slow. The best thing to keep him going is [to] get another little puppy,'" the president-elect recalled, joking that his elder dog "thinks he's Secret Service."

The Bidens confirmed in June 2021 that their dog Champ died at age 13.

“Our hearts are heavy today," the twosome wrote in a statement at the time. “Even as Champ's strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub. Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us."

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Willow

The college professor confirmed via Twitter in January 2022 that she and her husband had adopted a gray cat named Willow.

Credit: Courtesy Dr. Jill Biden/Instagram

Major and Champ

The Bidens have two German shepherds Champ, who lived with them at the vice-presidential mansion from 2009 to 2017, and Major, who was adopted in 2018. In January 2021, Joe and Jill moved their dogs into the White House with them after the politician was sworn in as the 46th U.S. president. Major is the first shelter dog to run through the Rose Garden in White House history. Champ died in June 2021 at the age of 13.

Credit: Courtesy Michelle Obama/Instagram

Sunny and Bo

The Obama family's beloved Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Bo, brought smiles to the White House throughout their two-term stay. 

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Barny and Miss Beazley

George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, had a full house in D.C. between 2001 and 2009. The couple owned two Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, and a black cat named India, who spent the final days of her life at the White House. 

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Socks

When her father, Bill Clinton, took office in 1993, Chelsea Clinton's adopted cat, Socks, tagged along to keep her company. Four years later, the mischievous feline was joined by Buddy, a chocolate lab.

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Millie and Ranger

George H.W. Bush's English springer spaniel, Millie, gave birth to a litter of puppies in the White House. One of her pups, Ranger, stayed close to her side. Both dogs have sadly passed away, but Millie's memory lives on with her own dog park in Houston, Texas. 

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Lucky and Rex

The 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, had a handful of pets during his two terms, including a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Rex and a Bouvier des Flandres sheepdog named Lucky.

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Grits

Former president Jimmy Carter's mut, Grits, was born on the same day he won the election in 1976. The pup's name is an homage to the politician's Southern roots.

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Liberty

Gerald Ford, who occupied the White House from 1974 to 1977, had a lovable golden retriever named Liberty, who gave birth to puppy Misty in the White House. The family also had a Siamese cat named Shan.

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King Timahoe, Vicky, and Pasha

Richard Nixon is best known for his close bond with cocker spaniel Checkers, but that particular pup never played on the White House lawn. During his time in office, the California native and his family owned King Timahoe, an Irish setter, Vicky, a poodle, and Pasha, a terrier.

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Macaroni, Tex and Leprechaun

The Kennedy family had a variety of eccentric pets, including parakeets, ducks and hamsters. Former president Lyndon B. Johnson gifted Caroline Kennedy a pony named Macaroni, who received plenty of fan letters from young citizens. The horse joined Tex and Leprechaun, who happily trotted around the White House grounds.

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Charlie

Not only did the late John F. Kennedy's family receive pets as presents from fellow politicians and diplomats, but they also brought their own pooch with them to the White House in 1961, a Welsh terrier named Charlie.

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Algonquin

Presidential pets date back nearly as far as the office itself. Theodore Roosevelt, champion of the National Parks service, kept lizards, snakes, a hyena and more. One of his more recognizable pets was a Shetland pony named Algonquin, who was a favorite of his son Archie.