All the Presidents’ Pets

Joe knows Willow

Both President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are avowed animal lovers, but the first lady was apparently the one behind Willow's adoption. Jill Biden was giving a speech at a farm in Pennsylvania during the 2020 campaign when Willow leaped onto the stage, interrupting the speech but charming the the first lady nonetheless. The cat is named for Jill Biden's hometown, Willow Grove, Pa.

Commander's new palace

New puppy Commander joined the Biden family in December 2021. The pup was a birthday for the president's 79th birthday from his brother James and his wife, Sara. Commander is the third German shepherd at the Biden White House, and he arrived six months after the death of their longtime dog Champ.

A Major milestone

Major, a German shepherd whom the Bidens adopted from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018,was the first shelter dog to reside at the White House. Biden hasn't spoken publicly about his name, but it may honor his late son Beau Biden, who was a major in the Delaware National Guard.

Major had some trouble adjusting to White House life — in one instance, he nipped a Secret Service agent's hand. In 2021, the family announced it was moving him to live in a quieter environment with family friends in Delaware.

Reigning Champ

Joe Biden's beloved Champ had been with the family since around the time Biden was elected vice president in 2008. His name recalled Biden's father, who used to tell him, "Any time you get knocked down, champ — get up!" Sadly, the 13-year-old German shepherd died in June 2021

Bo and Sunny, Obama's pals

Bo, left, and Sunny, the Obama family's dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 19, 2013. Sunny, the family's second dog who made her debut that year, was a Portuguese water dog, the same breed as Bo.

Bo knows politics

President Barack Obama runs alongside Bo, who was around 6 months old at the time, in the White House April 12, 2009. The dog was a gift from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife, Victoria, to the Obama girls.

See Spot walk

George W. Bush’s dog Spot Fletcher follows the president toward the White House in June 2003. Named for Texas Rangers baseball player Scott Fletcher, the springer spaniel was the daughter of President George H.W. Bush’s dog Millie.

Scot free

Scottish terrier Barney, First Dog in the George W. Bush White House, appeared blasé about the Christmas decorations Laura Bush unveiled to the media in December 2003. The Bushes also had a second Scottie, Miss Beazley.

Bubba and Buddy

President Bill Clinton gets an enthusiastic greeting from his chocolate Labrador retriever, Buddy, on the South Lawn of the White House in June 1999.

Socks appeal

Chelsea Clinton’s cat, Socks, appears puzzled by the demands of fame as photographers surround him outside the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas, soon after Bill Clinton was elected president in November 1992.

Face time

Former President George H.W. Bush enjoys some face-to-face time with his wife Barbara’s springer spaniel, Millie, in Houston. The Bushes also kept one of Millie’s puppies, Ranger, as a pet.

Cavalier attitude

Nancy Reagan and her dog Rex are clearly glad to see each other as the first lady returns to the White House in April 1986. Rex was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, generally considered a toy breed.

A stroke of Lucky

President Ronald Reagan pauses outside the White House to pet his dog Lucky in 1986. Lucky was a Bouvier des Flandres, a Flemish breed originally developed for cattle droving and sheep herding.

Play with Misty for me

President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, holds her cat, Misty, as she returns to the White House after a weekend with her parents at the Camp David presidential retreat in September 1977.

Give me Liberty

President Gerald R. Ford wrestles with his golden retriever, Liberty, in February 1975. The dog was a gift from Ford's daughter, Susan, and his personal photographer, David Hume Kennerly.

Ireland, France and Yorkshire

After his first dog, Checkers, passed away in 1964, Richard Nixon went on to the presidency and other pets: King Timahoe, an Irish setter; Vicky, a French poodle; and Pasha, a Yorkshire terrier, all shown here outside the White House in 1970.

A Checkered past

In September 1952, then-vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon defended his personal finances in a television address that became famously known as the “Checkers speech," because Nixon said the only contribution he kept was the dog of that name. The cocker spaniel died in 1964, the year this photo was taken, four years before Nixon was elected president.

Fly like a beagle

President Lyndon Johnson had two pet beagles, Him and Her. In 1964, he raised controversy when he was photographed hoisting one of them by the ears. Him sired a litter of puppies in 1965, and LBJ’s daughter kept two of them, Kim and Freckles, shown here in the president’s lap aboard Air Force One.

A passel of pets

Macaroni, Caroline Kennedy's pony, was far from the only pet in the JFK family. Here Caroline and John enjoy a veritable pack of pooches while vacationing with their parents.

Her little pony

Caroline Kennedy had something many young girls only dream of: her own pony. Here she sits atop Macaroni in March 1963 while little brother John, mother Jacqueline and President John F. Kennedy look on.

When a Feller needs a friend

In December 1947, President Harry S. Truman received an unsolicited gift: a cocker spaniel puppy named Feller, who poses here by the crate he came in. The pup was adopted by Truman’s personal physician.

A jolly good Fala

One of the most famous of all presidential pets was Franklin D. Roosevelt's beloved Fala. Here FDR takes the Scottish terrier for a ride through Hyde Park in 1944.

Hoover and his hound

President Herbert Hoover takes plenty of blame from historians for the Great Depression. But he had at least one loyal fan: his German shepherd, King Tut.

Cal and his collie

Rob Roy, a white collie, was just like a member of the family to Calvin Coolidge. The 30th president stands next to his pet in this photo from the 1920s, along with his wife, Grace, and their two sons.

Laddie and his daddy

Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, had an Airedale terrier named Laddie Boy. Here they pose for photographers outside the White House, circa 1923.