Last modified: December 22, 2022
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.
- 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.
- Theodore Roosevelt owned several dogs, including a Saint Bernard named Pete and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Sailor Boy.
- 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.
- Lyndon B. Johnson owned several dogs, including a Beagle named Him and a Mutt named Yuki.
- Richard Nixon owned a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers.
- 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.