Some presidents bring more than just their policies to the Oval Office. Over the years, several White House dogs have called the President’s Palace their home.
Thanks to both the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act and the technological advancements of the early 20th century, every president since Herbert Hoover has a digital database of content from their presidency. Lucky for us, that means plenty of photos of presidential pups.
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover had several dogs, two of the most famous being King Tut, a Belgian Malinois, and Weegie, a Norwegian Elkhound. Other White House dogs during Hoover’s presidency include Pat (German Shepherd and former German police dog), Marks (English Setter), Patrick (English Wolfhound), and Inglehurst Gillette (Gordon Setter). Hoover even had a dog master named Harry Waters, pictured below with some of the dogs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
FDR also had a number of dogs during his presidency, two of the most notable being Scottish Terriers Fala and Meggie. In the photo above, Fala keeps FDR company just 13 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other Roosevelt dogs include: Winks (Llewellyn Setter), Tiny (Old English Sheepdog), President (Great Dane), and Blaze (Bullmastiff).
FDR also had a German Shepherd named Major. However, the Roosevelt’s exiled him to their home in Hyde Park due to several biting incidents. Ironically, Joe Biden’s German Shepherd of the same name was sent home to Delaware for the same reason.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower had one dog: a Weimaraner named Heidi. She can be seen walking alongside the White House fence with Eisenhower in the photo above.
John F. Kennedy
JFK and Jackie Kennedy had quite the farm on their hands. In addition to the 11 dogs that spent time at the White House during the Kennedy presidency, the family also had a cat, a rabbit, a horse, a canary, two parakeets, two hamsters, three ponies, and several ducks.
Of those 11 dogs, two of the more well-known are a Welsh Terrier named Charlie and a mutt named Pushinka (pictured above). Pushinka, however, was no ordinary mutt. Incredibly, Pushinka and her mother, Strelka, were the first living creatures to travel to space and back. According to Caroline Kennedy, her mother was sitting next to former USSR president Nikita Krushchev at a state dinner in Vienna and struck up conversation about the space dogs. The rest was history.
Four of the Kennedy dogs were offspring of Charlie and Pushinka, whom JFK playfully dubbed “pupniks,” and were eventually given away. Pushinka and her pups can be seen above.
Lyndon B. Johnson
If you didn’t think you could relate to Lyndon Johnson, think again. Johnson was kind of obsessed with dogs. How obsessed, you may ask? After his presidency, he recorded a spoken word album titled “Dogs Have Always Been My Friends.” Johnson and his wife “Lady Bird” Johnson had four Beagles, a Collie, and one mutt named Yuki, who was undoubtedly the president’s favorite. Johnson would sing “duets” with Yuki in the Oval Office. The photo above captures Johnson and Yuki during one of those duets.
Richard Nixon
During his time as president and vice president, Nixon had four dogs: Vicky (Poodle), Pasha (Yorkshire Terrier), King Timahoe (Irish Setter), and Checkers (Cocker Spaniel). Vicky, Pasha, and King Timahoe are pictured above.
Gerald Ford
Ford’s presidency saw three dogs: a Golden Retriever named Liberty, a mutt named Lucky, and one of Liberty’s pups, Misty, who was born in the White House. The photo above shows Ford, the First Lady, and their daughter Susan with Liberty after the birth of her puppies.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter had two dogs, a Border Collie named Grits and an Afghan Hound named Lewis Brown. Grits, however, lacked in the behavior department. Thus, his stint at the White House was short-lived. In addition to being poorly trained, Grits apparently didn’t get along with Amy Carter’s cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Grits and Amy are pictured above.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan’s presidency is another one that brought a slew of animals. In addition to their several horses, the Reagans had six dogs in their time in the White House. One of the more well-known Reagan dogs is Lucky, a Bouvier de Flandres, who would accompany the president to Camp David (pictured above).
George H.W. Bush
Georgie H.W. Bush had a Springer Spaniel named Millie and one of her puppies. Millie, her pups, and H.W. Bush walk on the White House lawn in the photo above.
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton had a Chocolate Lab named Buddy — it really doesn’t get more quintessentially American than that. Bill and Buddy pose on the White House lawn in the photo above.
George W. Bush
The Bush family had three dogs: two Scottish Terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley and an English Springer Spaniel named Spot “Spotty” Fetcher, whose namesake is former Texas Ranger baseball player Scott Fletcher.
Barack Obama
During the Obama presidency, Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny took center stage at a lot of White House events. And how could you blame them? They’re adorable. Bo unfortunately passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives on.
Joe Biden
During his presidency and vice presidency, Joe Biden has had three German Shepherds in the White House. One was Champ, who sadly passed in 2021. Another was Major, who, like FDR’s German Shepherd Major, had to be sent back home for bad behavior. The remaining German Shepherd is Commander, who was a gift from President Biden’s brother. Commander and the Bidens are pictured above.
