White House Pets

Image of the white house.

A surprising issue that has arisen in the American political arena is not foreign policy, but rather which breed of dog the Obama's chose to join their family in the White House. Barack Obama has announced that his family narrowed their breed choices to a Labradoodle, a mix between a Labrador retriever and a Poodle, and a Portuguese water dog. Both breeds are large, with curly hair and a mild amount of shedding.

Obama stated in interviews that a limiting factor was his daughter Malia's allergies. They decided on a six month old Portuguese water dog they named Bo. The dog is a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who owns several Portuguese water dogs.

There has been a long history of pets in the White House. Most Presidential pooches have been pure-breed dogs, including "Buddy" Clinton, a chocolate Labrador retriever and "Barney" and "Miss Beazley" Bush, both Scottish terriers. Bush Sr. had a Springer Spaniel named "Millie" that gave birth to puppies while at the White House. Ford's Golden Retriever "Liberty" also had a litter of puppies. Reagan owned a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named "Rex" and a Bouvier des Flandres named "Lucky". James Garfield named his dog "Veto".

There have been some mix-breed dogs in the White House though: Abraham Lincoln's dog "Fido" and Lyndon B. Johnson's dog "Yuki" were both strays that found a home in the most prominent house in the world. Cats have also lived at the White House, most notably "Socks" Clinton. Eleven presidents have brought their cats to the White House, including Lincoln, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Ford, Carter, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Although the standard White House pets are dogs and cats, a few presidents have enjoyed the company of more rare animals. John Quincy Adams owned an alligator and silkworms. Martin Van Buren briefly owned two tiger cubs. Calvin Coolidge had pet raccoons and a pygmy hippopotamus named Billy, among many other exotic pets. James Buchanan had a Newfoundland named "Lara" and owned a herd of elephants, which were a gift from the King of Siam, and two bald eagles. John F. Kennedy had a collection of animals joining him at the White House, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, ponies, and horses.

Teddy Roosevelt had the most elaborate menagerie at the White House, including a bear named Jonathan Edwards, a badger named Josiah, and a blue macaw named Eli. He also had a lion, a hyena, a wildcat, a coyote, bears, a zebra, and various dogs, cats, snakes, hamsters, and guinea pigs. Animals at the White House certainly provides opportunities for some embarrassing occurrences. Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Terrier named "Pete" chewed a hole in the French ambassador's pants at a White House reception. "Yuki", Lyndon B. Johnson's mix-breed dog would howl during Oval Office meetings. Jimmy Carter's dog "Grits" ruined a White House photo op for Heartworm Awareness Week by becoming aggressive, ripping off her muzzle, and growling while a technician tried to draw blood for a heartworm test. Obama and his family have a big choice to make. Animals living with their family at the White House are an American tradition, and whichever dog the Obama's choose, one thing is for sure, it will be one lucky dog.

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Testimonials

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "Dr. Diamond,

    Your compassion and kindness to our "Star" was greatly appreciated."
    Sincerely, Rose Kush
  • "Dr. Diamond,

    I know that I always tell you how wonderful you are to "Nala" and I. But just by the amount of patients you have tells me that other clients feel the same way! You never make us feel like you are rushed. You make sure that we know you care for each and every pet. I have raised many dogs and went to many vets in my lifetime. But never had such a wonderful vet as you. It is very hard to compare any vet to you, because you my friend, are in a class of your own! God bless you, Dr. Diamond. Thank you soooo much for caring about us."
    Sincerely, Michelle & "Nala"
  • "Dear Dr. Diamond and all of your wonderful pet angels,

    I was touched to receive your beautiful card and you all wrote messages! That is incredibly special.As you all are. I am so grateful for your loving expertise with caring for all our dogs, but especially Spike. He lived longer and better thanks to your care. May 28th was a shockingly sad day but I just kept focusing then and now on your kindness and gentleness."
    Rosemari and all the family
  • "Dr Diamond,

    Glen and I are so thankful to you and your wonderful staff for taking such good care of our sweet lil' Brin. Your kindness and gentle treatment of her while she was feeling poorly and trying so hard to recover means more to us than you could imagine. Thank you so much.

    Thank you, your thoughtfulness is appreciated,"
    The Cotten Family