A dog is a man’s best friend, and it seems that it is also a president’s best friend.
The following is a list of presidents who owned dogs while in office (and an alligator!). Most of the dogs lived in the White House.
Get Smarter on US News, History, and the Constitution
- George Washington owned several dogs, including dogs of the American Foxhound, Black and Tan Coonhound, and Greyhound breeds.
- John Quincy Adams owned an alligator, which he kept in a bathroom in the White House.
- Andrew Jackson owned several dogs, including a Mastiff and a Greyhound.
- Abraham Lincoln owned several dogs, including a Greyhound and a mixed breed named Fido.
- Grover Cleveland had two dogs during his presidency, both of whom were named Hector. The first Hector was a French poodle, and the second Hector was a wire fox terrier.
Grover Cleveland, his son, and dog posed on the driveway, with a house in the background, Princeton, N.J - Theodore Roosevelt owned several dogs, including a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Sailor Boy. His most famous dog was a terrier named Skip, but he also had a bulldog named Pete and a Saint Bernard named Rollo.
Theodore Roosevelt standing with two dogs next to haystack - Warren G. Harding’s dog was an Airedale Terrier named Laddie Boy.
President Harding, with pet dog Laddie, being photographed in front of the White House - The name of Coolidge’s dog was a white collie named “Rob Roy.”
President Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge with dog outside White House. - Herbert Hoover had several dogs during his presidency, but his most famous dog was a Belgian shepherd named King Tut.
Piney the Schnauzer Pup perched on the famous medicin[e] ball used by the President each morning on the White House lawn - Franklin D. Roosevelt owned several dogs, including a Scottish Terrier named Fala and a Great Dane named Meggie.
One of FDR’s many dogs he owned. - Harry S. Truman owned a Cocker Spaniel named Feller.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower owned a Weimaraner named Heidi.
- John F. Kennedy owned a Welsh Terrier named Charlie and a Poodle named Pushinka. Clipper and Wolf
Photograph of Kennedy Family with Dogs During a Weekend at Hyannisport, The dogs are Clipper, Charlie , Wolf - Lyndon B. Johnson owned several dogs, including a Beagle named Him and a Mutt named Yuki.
- Richard Nixon owned a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers.
Richard Nixon’s most famous dog was a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers. However, during his presidency, he also had other dogs named Vicky, Pasha, and King Timahoe. - Gerald Ford owned a Golden Retriever named Liberty.
- Jimmy Carter owned a Border Collie named Grits.
- Ronald Reagan owned a Bouvier des Flandres named Lucky and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Rex.
- George H. W. Bush owned a Springer Spaniel named Millie and a Scottish Terrier named Ranger.
- Bill Clinton owned a Labrador Retriever named Buddy and a Chocolate Labrador Retriever named Socks.
- George W. Bush owned a Scottish Terrier named Barney and an English Springer Spaniel named Miss Beazley.
- Barack Obama owned two Portuguese Water Dogs named Bo and Sunny.
