Presidential Pets
In a few weeks, Major, fellow German shepherd Champ and a TBD feline are expected to make the move to the White House. Presidential pets provide their owners with a source of comfort, entertainment, occasional drama and generally good PR.
First lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a guided tour of the White House grounds to Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran in Washington April 12, 1962. Kennedy leads her daughter Caroline's pony, Macaroni, which had been nuzzling the empress, attracted by the daffodils she was carrying. In the background is the first lady's press secretary, Pamela Turnure.
Presidential pet Bo climbs the stairs of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Aug. 4, 2010, for a flight to Chicago with President Barack Obama.
First lady Barbara Bush, her granddaughter Barbara, and Millie wait on the steps of the White House for President George H.W. Bush to return from his check-up at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington Sept. 13, 1991.
Then-Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush and runningmate Dick Cheney walk down a dirt road to meet with reporters, followed by Bush's dog Spot, near Crawford, Texas, Nov. 11, 2000.Â
President Bill Clinton's cat Socks peers over the podium in the White House briefing room in Washington March 19, 1994.Â
First lady Barbara Bush strolls on the White House South Lawn in Washington with the family dog, Millie, Feb. 8, 1989.
President Barack Obama is almost jerked off his feet as he shows off their new dog Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, with his daughters Malia (left) and Sasha, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington April 14, 2009.Â
President Gerald Ford and his daughter, Susan, are pictured on the South Lawn of the White House with their dog, Liberty, in Washington Oct. 7, 1974.Â
President Clinton holds Socks the cat as he and first lady Hillary Clinton host Washington area elementary schoolchildren at the White House where the president read "Twas the Night Before Christmas,"Â Dec. 20, 1996.Â
President Richard Nixon smiles as he shows off one of the White House pets, tiny Yorkshire terrier Pasha, to two junior visitors in his office in Washington Feb. 5, 1969. His guests are five-year-old Tracy Greenwood, the March of Dimes National Poster Child, and his 7-year-old brother Jamie.Â
President Lyndon B. Johnson holds his dog "Her" by the ears as White House visitors look on the White House lawn, Washington, April 27, 1964. At left is President Johnson's other dog, "Him." This picture raised criticism from dog lovers. The arrival of the Biden pets will mark the next chapter in a long history of pets residing at the White House.
President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace Coolidge are shown with their dog at the White House portico in Washington Nov. 5, 1924.
President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline rides her pony, Macaroni, on the south grounds of the White House in Washington March 20, 1962.Â
President Franklin D. Roosevelt pets Fala, his Scottish terrier, in Washington in 1939.Â
First lady Nancy Reagan holds the Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and President Reagan walk on the White House South lawn in December 1986.Â
A "Beware of Dog!" sign hangs outside the Oval Office at the White House during the administration of President George H.W. Bush March 2, 1989.Â
Joe Biden and his newly-adopted German shepherd Major are pictured in Wilmington, Del., Nov. 16, 2018.
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The arrival of the Biden pets will mark the next chapter in a long history of pets residing at the White House after a four-year hiatus.
