Warren Harding was followed in the White House by the greatest White House zookeeper in our history, Calvin Coolidge. The collection of animals in the Coolidge White House exceeded even the Teddy Roosevelt White House in both numbers and varieties of animals.
Coolidge had the usual “normal” pets. He had a dog named Paul Pry and a cat named Tiger. One day, when Tiger could not be found, Coolidge asked the local radio stations to announce a “missing cat” bulletin. Tiger was found, but later ran away again, and was never found.
Paul Pry was an Airedale originally named Laddie Buck. He also had a terrier named Peter Pan and a white collie named Rob Roy. Rob Roy, originally named Oshkosh, appeared in the famous official portrait of First Lady Grace Coolidge, which is still in the White House today. Their other white collie was called Prudence Prim, and their Shetland sheepdog was named Calamity Jane. They had a couple of chows named Tiny Tim and Blackberry, a brown collie named Ruby Rough, a police dog named King Kole, a yellow collie named Bassie and a bird dog named Palo Alto. In addition to the dogs, they also had a variety of birds which included, among others, canaries named Nip and Tuck, a white canary named Snowflake, a thrush named Old Bill, a goose named Enoch and mockingbirds belonging to the First Lady. The Coolidge family also had cats in the White House. Tiger, mentioned above, was an alley cat. Another cat was named Blacky.
But the other animals kept at the Coolidge White House were indeed unique. Coolidge kept two raccoons named Rebecca and Horace. Rebecca used to ride around on Coolidge’s shoulders. He also had a donkey named Ebenezer, and bobcat named Smokey, lion cubs, a wallaby, a bear, and a pigmy hippo. There has never been such an amazing and unique collection of animals in the White House, before or since.
Herbert Hoover loved dogs. His favorite was a police dog named King Tut. His other dogs included fox terriers named Big Ben and Sonnie, a Scotch collie named Glen, an Eskimo dog named Yukon, a wolfhound named Patrick, a sitter named Eaglehurst Gillette, an elkhound named Weejie, and another police dog named Pat.
Franklin Roosevelt was also a great dog lover. He had a number of dogs including a German shepherd named Major, a Scotch terrier named Meggie, a Llewellyn setter named Winks, an English sheepdog named Tiny, a Great Dane named (appropriately) President, and his son Elliot’s mastiff named Blaze.
But the most famous of FDR’s dogs, and possibly the most famous of all Presidential pets, was Fala, a black Scotch terrier. Fala starred in a movie-short that told of a day in the life of a First Pet. But Fala became even more famous in the 1944 election. Franklin Roosevelt took Fala everywhere, but on a trip to the Aleutian Islands, Fala got left behind. Republicans accused President Roosevelt of sending a destroyer back for Fala, at a cost of eight million dollars.
In a famous speech to the Teamsters Union on September 23, 1944, FDR turned the tables on the Republican charges. In this amusing and popular speech, FDR said, “These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me --- on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No . . . they now include my little dog, Fala. Well, of course, I don’t resent the attacks, and my family doesn’t resent the attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know --- you know --- Fala’s Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers . . . had concocted a story that I had left him behind on an Aleutian island and had sent a destroyer back to find him --- at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars --- his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself . . . But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog.” It was the most effective speech of the campaign, and it can be said the Fala, the First Dog, helped FDR win his historic fourth term as President. Fala became immensely popular with the American people. Today, at the FDR Memorial, Fala backpacks, pencils and mugs are available for purchase.
Surprisingly, considering his farm background and upbringing, Harry Truman was not fond of animals. His daughter Margaret had an Irish setter named Mike. There was also an “unwanted dog” named Feller. Mike was only there a short while.
The Eisenhower White House had only one pet, a Weimaraner named Heidi.
John Kennedy, having young children, had many pets during his tenure in the White House. There was Charlie, Caroline Kennedy’s Welsh terrier. There was also a cat named Tom Kitten, and canary named Robin, and parakeets named Bluebell and Marybelle. One of the more famous of the Kennedy pets was Macaroni, Caroline’s favorite pony. Macaroni received thousands of fan letters from children around the country. There were other ponies named Tex and Leprechaun as well. The First Lady also had a horse, named Sardar. Other Kennedy pets included dogs named Shanon, Wolf and Clipper and a rabbit named Zsa Zsa.
Another famous First Pet, for political as well as family reasons, was a dog named Pushinka. Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev gave this dog to Caroline Kennedy. Pushinka was a mongrel, and the offspring of a dog sent into space by the Soviet space program. Charlie (listed above) and Pushinka had puppies, hailed as the first Soviet-American litter in history. The puppies were named Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie and Streaker.
Lyndon Johnson was very found of animals, especially dogs. In addition to a number of hamsters and lovebirds were a number of dogs, mostly beagles. Johnson started with Beagle and Little Beagle and a mongrel named Yuki. Johnson and Yuki liked to perform by throwing back their heads and howling (Johnson called it singing) together. But the most famous of the Johnson pets were beagles named Him and Her. They often accompanied Johnson as he walked around the White House grounds with reporters. Johnson created a national furor when he held up Him by the ears, stating that the yelps were sounds of playful pleasure. Animal lovers from all over the nation protested.
The Nixons had several dogs. They had a poodle named Vicki, a terrier named Pasha, and an Irish setter named King Timahoe. But their most famous dog was not actually a First Pet. When Richard Nixon was first running for Vice President, he was accused of financial irregularities. He made a speech on national television, one of the first politicians to effectively use the medium, to defend himself. The most famous part of the speech was when Nixon movingly told of taking just one personal gift, a dog given him for his daughters and which he was going to keep no matter what because his daughters loved that dog. The dog’s name was Checkers, and the speech became known as the Checkers speech, and is credited with saving Nixon’s political career.
There were only two pets in the Ford White House. Susan Ford had a Siamese cat named Shan. The President had a Golden Retriever named Liberty. The popular TV comedy show “Saturday Night Live” often featured skits about the President, and often included Liberty. Liberty had puppies in the White House, which also made national news.
President Jimmy Carter had a dog named, appropriately, Grits. His daughter Amy had a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang.
When President Reagan moved into the White House, he and Mrs. Reagan had a Bouvier des Flandres (a breed of sheepdog) puppy named Lucky. Lucky, however, wasn’t. He grew up very quickly into a very large dog. There was a famous picture of Lucky dragging the President across the White House lawn in front of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It was soon thereafter exiled to the Reagan ranch in California, where it lived very happily. Lucky was replaced in the White House by a (much) smaller King Charles spaniel named Rex. The Reagans had many dogs and horses at their ranch in California.
George and Barbara Bush also had one of the more famous First Pets, and certainly the most accomplished First Pet of all times. Whereas Fala starred in a movie, Millie, a Springer spaniel, supposedly wrote a book. Millie’s book was on the New York Times best-seller list for months. Interestingly, the book was listed in the category of nonfiction. One of Millie’s puppies, Ranger, stayed on with his mother and the First Family.
Today, the senior First Pet is Socks the cat. There was much speculation as to Sock’s reaction when another pet was added to the household. In December of 1997, a chocolate Labrador retriever named Buddy moved into the White House.
It remains to be seen whom the American people will elect as the next First Pet. This may be one of the deciding factors in this close race for the White House. Consider carefully, choose wisely and well. History is waiting for your answer.
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