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Our Amber was part terrier and part chow, so she would have fit
right in at the White House. Author's photo.
Starting with the most common type of dog, the mixed-breed or just plain dog, the presidential pet lists show no breed specified for one or more dogs owned by Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Lincoln, Truman and Carter. Theodore Roosevelt claimed a mutt and LBJ two mongrels in addition to their purebred dogs and other pets. Three additional presidents (Grant, Hayes and Reagan) list “other dogs” besides the purebred canines they owned.
George Washington easily wins the prize for most dogs owned at one time while president with 36 hounds. Virginians and serious hunting dog fanciers will appreciate his dedication to dogs and dog breeding. Since then, no president has brought a hunting pack to DC, although LBJ did have four beagles.
Other presidential hounds include greyhounds owned by presidents Tyler and Hayes, and Hoover’s elkhound and Irish wolfhound. Hoover also had a malamute, two shepherds (Coolidge had one as well and FDR kept a German shepherd), a collie (as did LBJ—and Coolidge had four), two shepherds, and two fox terriers.
Coolidge also had a terrier, unspecified type (as did Hayes and Nixon, and Theodore Roosevelt had two), along with a bulldog (as did Harding), two chows and a birder. The record also shows some specific terrier breeds in the White House: FDR and GW Bush each had two Scottish terriers, Harding had an Airedale, and JFK a Welsh terrier.
A presidential fondness for spaniels started with Monroe. However, the next spaniels show up in the White House only in the late 20th Century, with Reagan’s cavalier King Charles spaniel and the Bushes’ Springer spaniels. GW Bush’s Spot, born to GHW and Barbara Bush’s Millie, thus became the only dog living at the White House with two separate presidents. The Nixons’ Checkers, a cocker, was only a vice-presidential dog—he had died before Nixon became president.
Hoover comes into play again as a president who had a setter, unspecified. FDR preferred a Llewellyn setter, while Truman and Nixon each chose an Irish setter.
Moving into the less-often-owned breeds, we find only three retrievers, surprisingly enough given their current popularity, Teddy Roosevelt had the first recorded retriever, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, and the Clintons had a chocolate lab. Gerald Ford’s golden retriever had a litter of pups in the White House. Three Newfoundland dogs also found White House homes, with Buchanan, Grant and Hayes.
Three breeds show up with two presidents: sheepdogs (FDR an English sheepdog, and Reagan a Bouvier des Flandres), mastiff (Hayes and FDR) and poodles (Cleveland and Nixon).
The final three breeds have only one representative each. Teddy Roosevelt rounded out his group of dogs with a tiny Pekingese while FDR went large with a Great Dane. And Eisenhower chose the elegant weimaraner
www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768598.html for all presidential animals from Washington on, although with the caveat that the list may not be exhaustive.
www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-1.htm gives each president’s years in office plus details about some of the pets and links to other sources of information about each president.
National Geographic Kids has fun presidential pet trivia.
Comments
I own a Rat terrier, a close releative to the Fox terrier. I believe it was FDR who commissioned the breed to rid his barn of rats by crossing a Fox Terrier with a Jack Russell. Anyone know if this is true?
Matt: Good question. According to a concise breed history by Darla J. at KnD Kennels, the Rat Terrier appears to have originated from Manchester Terrier and the Smooth Fox Terrier crosses, also with the now extinct English White Terrier, Bull and Terrier, Black and Tan Terrier, Italian Greyhound, Whippet and Beagle being added into the mix, either in England or after the dogs were brought to America.
There is a short-legged strain of Rat Terrier (often called a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier) which may be what you're referring to. The rat terrier breed existed long before FDR.
Oh Sue, I remember beautiful, sweet Amber. What a wonderful photo of her!!
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