" ou want a friend in Washington? Get a dog."
~
A total of 25 of America's 44 Presidents have owned Dogs as their pets.
One in every three Americans own Dogs and are interested in the pets belonging to the First Family.

This page is dedicated to the Dogs of American Presidents

1789 - 1797 George Washington

The first US President George Washington owned 10 Hounds called Mopsey, Taster, Cloe, Tipler, Forester, Captain, Lady Rover, Vulcan, Sweetlips and Searcher.

America's first president was not only the father of his country but the father of the American Foxhound. He carefully bred and maintained his Dogs, listing more than 30 hounds in his journals, including hounds named Drunkard, Tipler and Tipsy.

American Foxhound

1801 - 1809 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson owned a Sheep Dog and is the President who instituted the first dog license. He actually had a Dog hanged once for attacking his sheep.

1817 - 1825 James Monroe

James Monroe owned a Spaniel.

1861 - 1865 Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln owned at least 2 Dogs called Fido and Jip. Fido, suffered a violent death much like his master. Fido was knifed to death in the street by a drunk who became angry when the Dog jumped on him with muddy paws.

1869 - 1877 Ulysses S Grant

Ulysses S. Grant brought a Newfoundland Dog named Faithful to the White House. Faithful belonged to Jesse Grant, the son of President Grant.

1877 - 1881 Rutherford Hayes

Rutherford Hayes owned an English Mastiff called Duke, two German Shepherd Dogs named Hector and Nellie and a Greyhound called Grim.

1885 - 1889 Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland was believed to have owned a Poodle.

1889 - 1893 Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison owned a Dog called Dash.

Dash

1901 - 1909 Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt owned a Pitbull Terrier (Pete), a Chesapeake Retriever (Sailor Boy), a Terrier (Jack), a Mix (Skip) and a Spaniel called Manchu. Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Terrier, Pete, almost caused an international scandal when he ripped off the French ambassador’s pants during a White House function.

Gen. George Custer took his Chesapeake Retrievers into battle with him. Legend holds that President Teddy Roosevelt’s own Chessie, Sailor Boy, right, was descended from Custer’s own Dogs.

With Sailor Boy

1913 - 1921 - Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson did not own a Dog while he was President. He was the first to shake hands with a Dog which was a war hero. Woodrow Wilson. The dog was Stubby, a Bull Terrier, who captured a German spy in World War I. Woodrow Wilson made the following quote, "If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience."

1921 - 1923 Warren Harding

Warren Harding owned an Airedale called Laddie Boy and a Bulldog called Oh Boy. Laddie Boy who had his own chair to sit on at cabinet meetings.

Laddie Boy

1923 - 1929 Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge owned at least 12 Dogs:
Terrier (Peter Pan)
Airedale (Laddie Buck/Paul Pry)
2 White Collies (Oshkosh/Rob Roy and Prudence Primm)
Shetland Sheepdog (Calamity Jane)
2 Chows (Tiny Tim and Blackberry)
Brown Collie (Ruby Rough)
Yellow Collie (Bessie)
Bulldog (Boston Beans)
Police Dog (King Kole)
Bird Dog (Palo Alto),

Rob Roy

1929 - 1933 Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover owned at least 9 Dogs
2 Police Dogs (King Tut and Pat)
2 Fox Terriers (Big Ben and Sonnie)
Scotch Collie (Glen)
Eskimo Dog (Yukon)
Wolfhound (Patrick)
Setter (Eaglehurst Gillette)
Elkhound (Weejie)

King Tut

Fala

1945 - 1953 Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman owned a Mix called Feller and an Irish Setter named Mike.

Irish Setter

1953 - 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower owned a Weimaraner named Heidi.

J.F.K. & CHARLIE

Charlie & Pushinka

1963 - 1969 Lyndon B Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson owned 7 Dogs:
Mix - Yuki
5 Beagles - Beagle, Little Beagle, Him and Her and J. Edgar
White Collie - Blanco

As president he received as a gift the white Collie, Blanco. He always shook hands with the Dog whenever he left or returned to the White House.

His favorite Dog, the Beagle called Him, was run over and killed on the White House grounds. Edgar Hoover gave him a Dog to replace Him which he named J. Edgar. His Mongrel Dog, Yuki, was famous for disgracing everyone present in the oval office including the Shah of Iran. His next escapade occurred when he bit a White House police officer in the groin. Despite these indiscretions Yuki was honoured by his picture appearing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

Him & Her

1969 - 1974 Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon owned 4 Dogs
Spaniel - Checkers
Irish Setter - King Timahoe
Terrier - Pasha
Poodle - Vicky

When he entered the White House a member of his staff gave him the Irish Setter, King Timahoe, which he named for the little village in Ireland where his mother’s ancestors came from.

Checkers

1974 - 1977 Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford owned a Golden Retriever called Liberty who gave birth to nine puppies at the White House.

1977 - 1981 Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter gave a Dog as a gift to his daughter Amy. The Dog was a Mix who was called Grits.

Grits with Amy

Lucky

1981 - 1989 Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan owned two Dogs, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Rex and a Bouvier des Flandres called Lucky. The President was photographed being dragged across the White House lawn by Lucky in the presence of Margaret Thatcher. An undignified image for the President of the USA. Lucky was sent to live in California leaving just Rex, the little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel at the White House.

Rex with Nancy Reagan

With Ranger

1989 - 1993 George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush owned a Springer Spaniel called Millie and her puppy named Ranger. "Millie", the Springer Spaniel, has been the subject of a book which has sold more copies than the autobiography of George Bush himself.

Millie

1993 - 2001  President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton owned a chocolate Labrador called Buddy.

The TV cameras caught him relieving himself on the carpet! Buddy was barely in the White House a month before Newsweek proclaimed, “At last, a friend who can’t testify against him.”

Buddy

With Barney

2000 - 2008 President George W. Bush

President George W Bush's Dogs include a Scottish Terrier named Barney and an English Springer Spaniel named Spot. Spot was named after Scott Fletcher, a former Texas Rangers baseball player. President Bush's Dog Spot is the only Dog to live in the White House during two administrations. Spot was born to Millie, George H.W. Bush's Dog, when George H.W. Bush was President. Spot was given to his son George W. Bush who returned the Terrier to the White House for his term of office.

Miss Beasley, Barney's companion Scottie, is Laura Bush's Dog.

Spot

Barney & Miss Beasley

 

 

2009 - President Barack Husein Obama

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“We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter Dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter Dogs are Mutts like me. So — so whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

WHERE'S OUR PUPPY?
Malia & Sasha Obama