Pets in the White House: From Rebecca the Raccoon to Billy Possum

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have very little in common, but they do share one thing that most other presidents don’t: neither are pet owners. 

According to Axios, there have only been three presidents who didn’t have pets at the White House: James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson and Trump. No matter who wins in November, as of now there likely won’t be any furry members of the first family living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 

The majority of Americans are pet owners, and a little more than a third of Americans have more than one pet, according to a Pew Research survey. Nearly all pet owners in America say their pets are part of their family. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, has a mischievous dog named Scout, while Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has a German shepherd. 
 

 

And though Harris doesn’t have a dog of her own, she did cozy up to the cutest of fire station pups at a recent Pennsylvania campaign event. 

White House pets

Here’s a look at some of the more unusual White House pets of the past and the White House pets of modern history. 

William Howard Taft

President William Howard Taft's cow Pauline wasn’t the first cow to live at the White House, but she was the last. 

According to the White House Historical Association, previous cows provided milk to the Executive Mansion before Pauline arrived in 1909, but "Pauline was adored beyond her role as a dairy source."

She lived in the White House stables with Taft’s presidential carriage horses and the White House’s first fleet of cars. 

Calvin Coolidge

In 1926, supporters of President Calvin Coolidge sent a live raccoon to the White House – a gift for the first family to kill and eat for Thanksgiving, according to the Library of Congress. 

Instead, the Coolidge family kept it as a pet, and Rebecca the raccoon quickly gained fame at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 

The Coolidges reportedly built Rebecca a house of her own and let her road the trees on the White House campus. She was often featured in newspapers and even made a guest appearance at the 1927 Easter Egg Roll. 

Herbert Hoover

Billy Possum was a wild opossum that wandered onto White House grounds, according to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. Adopted by the Hoovers, Billy Possum was kept in the pen built for the Coolidges' raccoon, Rebecca. 

Billy was later borrowed by a Maryland high school that had recently lost their opossum mascot.

John F. Kennedy Jr. 

President John F. Kennedy brought four pets to the White House, according to the White House Historical Association: hamsters Debbie and Billie; a gray cat, Tom Kitten; and a canary, Robin, to the White House. 

While at the White House, the Kennedies also added ponies, a Welsh terrier named Charley; a German shepherd named Clipper; a cocker spaniel named Shannon; parakeets Maybelle and Bluebell; and Wolf, an Irish wolfhound. 

Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ's most famous dogs were his beagles named Him and Her, according to his presidential library. The two were often with the president while he was at his Texas ranch or at the White House. 

In 1964, the beagles received national attention after LBJ lifted Him by his ears while greeting a group on the White House lawn.

Richard Nixon

The Nixons welcomed three dogs into the White House: Pasha, Vicky, and King Timahoe.

Gerald Ford

The Fords didn’t have a pet when they moved to the White House, but after First Lady Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery, Susan Ford wanted to surprise her parents with a dog to lift the family’s spirits. 

The eight-month-old puppy Susan got was a female golden retriever named Streaker, but the Fords quickly changed her name to Liberty, according to the White House Historical Association. 

Jimmy Carter

The Carters had three pets while in office from 1977-1981: a border collie named Grits, a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang and Lewis Brown, an Afghan hound, according to the Presidential Pet Museum. 

Grits was the first to arrive at the White House, the museum says. Carter’s daughter Amy’s school teacher gave the first family a 9-year-old border collie mix, but Grits reportedly was later returned to Amy’s teacher. 

Ronald Reagan

Two dogs, Lucky and Rex, lived at the White House during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, according to the Reagan Presidential Library. 

Lucky was a female Bouvier des Flandres, given to Nancy Reagan by the 1985 March of Dimes poster child, Kristen Ellis. Lucky was moved from the White House to Rancho del Cielo during the 1985 Thanksgiving holiday, because she was getting too big for the White House.

Rex was a King Charles cavalier spaniel who moved into the White House in December 1985. Rex was a Christmas present to President Reagan from First Lady Nancy Reagan. 

George H.W. Bush

President George H.W. Bush’s English Springer spaniel, Millie Bush, was once called "the most famous dog in White House history," reports say. She could often be found resting on the White House lawn or lounging in the Oval Office as President Bush worked. 

Millie gave birth to puppies while at the White House. One of those puppies, Spot, also lived at the White House when Bush’s son, George W. Bush, was president. Spot was the only pet to have lived at the White House for two different administrations. 

Bill Clinton

Buddy, a chocolate-colored Labrador Retriever, joined the Clintons at the White House in late 1997, according to the White House Historical Association. 

The Clintons also had a family cat named Socks, a stray that was adopted by President Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea. 

George W. Bush

Beazley Barney and Miss Beazley were Scottish terriers of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Barney joined the Bush family after the Presidential election in 2000, as a gift from President Bush to his wife. Miss Beazley was a birthday gift to Laura Bush in 2004 and arrived at the White House on January 6, 2005, according to Bush’s Presidential Library. 

Spot Fetcher, a brown-and-white English springer spaniel, also lived in the White House with the Bushes. Known affectionately as "Spotty" by her family, Spot was born to Millie, the English springer spaniel that belonged to Bush’s parents, President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. 

President Bush often brought Spot with him to the Oval Office for briefings and other important meetings, according to the Presidential Pet Museum. She died in 2004 at 14 or 15 years old. 

Barack Obama

Bo, a male Portuguese Water Dog, joined the Obamas at the White House in April 2009, and Sunny, a female Portuguese Water Dog, was adopted in August 2013. 

Donald Trump

No pets

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden and his family have two dogs and a cat, but only the cat remains at the White House. 

Both of the president’s dogs – a purebred German shepherd named Commander and Major, the first shelter dog to ever live at the White House – have had to leave the White House because of biting incidents. 

Their other German shepherd, Champ, also lived with them at the White House until his death in June 2021. 

Their cat Willow moved in in January 2022. 

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