As the United States’ Commander-in-Chief, the President of the United States has a lot of responsibility. But being president isn’t all work and no play. In fact, one of the perks of being the most powerful person in the country is that you get to choose your own presidential pet.
The first presidential pet was George Washington’s horse, named Nelson. Washington was a big fan of horses, and he is even quoted as saying “I can truthfully say that riding has always been one of my greatest pleasures.”
Other presidents have had all kinds of pets, from dogs, indoor cats to bears and raccoons. John Quincy Adams even had an alligator that he kept in the White House. Calvin Coolidge, for example, had two cats, a raccoon, a goose, a donkey, and two lion cubs.
Other Presidential pets have included horses (such as Abraham Lincoln’s horse, Old Bob), rabbits (such as Ronald Reagan’s rabbit, Oreo), and even a bear (Theodore Roosevelt’s bear, Josiah).
However, dogs were the most popular pet as there have been more presidential dogs than any other type of pet. One of the most famous presidential dogs was FDR’s Scottish terrier, Fala. Fala was very popular with the public and appeared in several films and magazine articles. When he died in 1950 at the age of ten, he was buried next to Roosevelt at his home in Hyde Park, New York.
The current president, Joe Biden, has a German Shepherd named Major that lives with him in the White House.
In fact, the only President in the last 150 years not to have a pet while living in the White House was President Trump.
Pets have been so popular with presidents for good reasons.
Presidential pets can provide companionship, relieve stress, and even make good PR tools. They can also be used to send political messages, humanize presidents and make them seem more relatable.
For instance, when Lyndon B. Johnson adopted a stray dog and named him “Yuki,” he was sending a message of peace to the Soviet Union, which had recently launched a space mission called “Zond 5” (Зонд 5).