Beside a sprinkling of cats, there have been bears, goats, ponies, guinea pigs, mice, parrots, sheep, cows, and a possum.
Some of the more famous presidential pets are known by name. I can remember growing up with Caroline Kennedy and her pony, Macaroni. Gerald Ford had Liberty. Obama had Bo. FDR had Falla, and Clinton's cat Socks even appeared on his own official White House Press site.
Of all the presidents, Theodore Roosevelt had the most pets.With six children living beneath it's eaves, the White House held : 1 small bear, a lizard, guinea pigs, a pig, a badger, a blue macaw, a hen and a one legged rooster.
Once when one of the younger Roosevelt children was in bed sick, his brothers bought his favorite pony up to the second floor on an elevator. It is said that the pony became fascinated with his own reflection and refused to leave.
John Quincey Adams kept an alligator in the bath tub of the east room. Calvin Coolidge kept a pygmy hippopotamus. Coolidge was smart and donated the animal to the Washington zoo.
Herbert Hoover had a possum named Billy O' Possum and was often seen on a leash.
So, when your sweet one comes around asking for those pets. Thank your lucky stars its only a goat, a pony, a cat, or a dog.
This pictures is from the Library of Congress site. American Folklore Center and Veterans History Project.
You can check more out at the site : https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2019/08/of-possums-and-presidents-some-presidential-encounters-with-opossums/
Why am I bringing all this up? My grand-babies are adding to their own pets. In addition to Toad the dog, and Hopper the bunny, they are now proud owners of two goats, two ducks, and a lamb named Snowflake.
