U.S. Presidents and Their Pets – Special President’s Day Blog

dog in patriotic dog house

Being the president of one the most powerful countries in the world is not an easy task. You need to have a loyal cabinet, a strong Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a dedicated group of men and women who are willing, ready, and able to implement your policies and ideas for the good of the country.

You also need a trusted companion. Someone who is willing stay by your side through thick and thin. Someone who is willing to take walks with you while you ponder global issue. Someone who always gets excited when you walk into a room. You need a pet.

Whether dog, cat, horse, or even pig (yes, you read right: pig), U.S. Presidents have had a companion from the animal kingdom while they were in office.

In honor of President’s Day, Allivet is dedicating this blog to fun and interesting facts about U.S. President’s and their pets.

George Washington was not only the first president of the United States but he was an avid horse and dog lover. He owned more than a half-dozen horses and 15 dogs. Plus, Mrs. Martha Washington, his wife, had a parrot.

John Adams may have been the second president, but he was the first to live in the White House and his dogs were the first to run on the White House lawn. President Adams and Abigail, the First Lady, were fond of dogs and horses too. And an affinity for unusual pet names: Juno, Satan and Cleopatra.

Thomas Jefferson had a mockingbird named Dick, a horse name Caractacus, and two grizzly bear cubs that were given to him as a gift by Captain Zebulon Pike.

James Buchanan, also known as “America’s First Bachelor President”, was an explorer who took part in the original Lewis and Clark Expedition. Buchanan was the proud pet parent of two American bald eagles, toy terrier named Punch and Lara a Newfoundland dog.

Abraham Lincoln, known as “The Great Emancipator”, loved animals so much that besides owning dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and goats, he also had a pet pig. Before becoming the 16th President of the United States, Lincoln had received a patent for a floatation device that was used for boats in shallow waters.

James A. Garfield while in office was the first president to appoint African-Americans to federal positions. Known for having a wry sense of humor, Garfield named his Newfoundland dog Veto as a not so subtle reminder to Congress that he might not sign all the bills passed by Congress.

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was a larger-than-life president who was known to have many interests including exploring, protecting the environment, writing, and sports to name a few. He was an avid animal lover who kept dogs, cats, horses, birds, snakes, and rats. He also had a collection of exotic animals that included a lion, a hyena, five bears and a zebra among others.

Herbert Hoover, the United States 31st president, was an independently wealthy mining engineer who had his salary as president redistributed. You can say he worked for free. Mostly a dog lover, Hoover kept two alligators in the White House. The gators belonged to his son, and they were allowed to roam around the White House grounds.

John F. Kennedy was voted “most likely to succeed” in his school’s yearbook. This was an appropriate term that foreshadowed his being the youngest president to be elected into office, and being the only president to win a Pulitzer Prize. Unfortunately, his life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet halfway through his term in office. An animal lover, Kennedy had several dogs, cats, ponies, parakeets and even hamsters.

Ronald Reagan was an actor and the governor of California before becoming the 40th President of the United States. Aside from being the pet parent of a wide variety of dogs (which included a Bouvier des Flanders, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a golden retriever and a Belgian sheepdog), Reagan loved horse which he kept on his ranch.

Barack Obama is the current president of the United States (at the time this blog was written). He is currently serving his second term in office. Known as being the first African-American mixed-race president in U.S. history, Obama is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Keeping him company during his presidential duties are Bo and Sunny two Portuguese water dogs.

As you can tell regardless of their political leanings, all presidents are members of the Pet Parent Party. We hope you enjoyed this special report on the state of presidents and their pets.

To learn more about president’s and their pets, take a virtual tour of the Presidential Pet Museum by copying and pasting this URL into your web browser https://presidentialpetmuseum.com/

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Allivet.com, Trusted Pet Pharmacy Since 1992.
Allivet.com supplies everything from prescription, non-prescription medication for farm and companion animals, pet medication, pet flea control, pet vitamins, veterinarian diagnostic devices, equine supplements & medications, equine performance products, equine vaccines, and much more at highly affordable prices.

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