Presidential Pets – White House Dogs
Pets play such an important role in our lives. It only makes sense that even the most influential people in the United States would have the same love of animals as everyone else.
Presidential pets help make the first family more relatable. With a new family in the White House, let’s look at the role of pets and famous First Pets of the past.
The Role of Pets in the White House
The role of pets in the White House is the same as pets in anyone’s house. Most people find so much joy in pet ownership. Not to mention, there are a slew of health benefits to owning a pet. They increase your mental wellbeing, your fitness and help reduce your stress. A pet is probably what the person with one of the most stressful jobs on the planet needs.
While there are many physical and emotional benefits to having pets, at the White House a pet gives people personal insight into how the First Family lives. For example, The Ford family stayed up all night to care for their new puppies when their Golden Retriever “Liberty” gave birth. George W. Bush’s Scottish terriers gave the world a “dog’s eye view” around Christmas time when they wore cameras around the White House.
Pets help make our lives more joyful and fun. You could say that the First Pets help America see the First Family having fun.
President Biden’s Pets
Champ and Major will be the first pets in the White House in four years.
Both Biden’s dogs,12-year-old Champ and 2-year-old Major, moved into the White House just four days after Presidents Biden’s inauguration. They’ve already carved out their favorite spots. Major, who happens to be the first shelter dog to live in the White House, loves relaxing near President Biden’s fireplace. Major is still young and can be found running up and down the white House lawn. President Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, has said the family will soon be bring a cat into the white house as well.
Other Unusual First Pets
While many modern presidents have elected to own dogs, that has not always been the case. You might be surprised by some of the more unusual pets that have been in the White House.
- George Washington had Foxhounds, Coonhounds, a donkey and a parrot.
- Thomas Jefferson had Shepherd dogs, mockingbirds, and bears cubs.
- John Quincy Adams kept silkworms and is rumored to have had an alligator for a short time.
- Andrew Jackson kept fighting cocks.
- William Henry Harrison had a cow and a goat.
- James Buchanan kept a Newfoundland and an eagle.
- Chester A. Arthur kept a rabbit.
- Woodrow Wilson kept sheep and a ram.
- Bill Clinton kept a cat named Socks.
No list of presidential pets would be complete without Theodore Roosevelt’s collection of exotic animals. He will forever be known for his push for conservationism. As such, he basically kept a circus at the white house. He kept hens, guinea pigs, lizards, a badger, a black bear, a pig, a barn owl, a hyena and a one-legged rooster named Fierce.
Who Takes Care of the President’s Pets?
As for who is taking care of presidential pooches, the answer is it depends. Some presidential families are more hands-on than others. They all have the benefit of someone being there to step in when the first family cannot. This person is usually the White House Chief Groundskeeper, Dale Haney.
Since the 1970s, Dale has been training and tending to the first family’s dogs. He would do everything that a normal dog owner would do for their pup. That includes evacuating and caring for the White House pets during the September 11th attacks.
Dale would graciously take a backseat for any president that wanted to be more hands-on with their dog. George W. Bush’s Scottish Terrier Barney would accompany the president to the oval office each day, and Bush was known to stop meetings when Barney wanted to go out or come in.
While presidents were welcome to care for their beloved pets as much as possible, sometimes their schedule simply doesn’t allow for it. This is where the collection of groundskeepers, on-call veterinarians or other staff members would pick up the slack.