by Sharon Meyer

Created on: January 20, 2009   Last Updated: November 22, 2009

Historically American families have always treated and accepted there pets as part of their family so it should come as no surprise that when a new American President moves into the White House their pets come along with them as part of the family.

Only a handful of Presidents chose to not have any pets during their term in office and oddly enough their Presidency went on to be rather obscure. Some great examples are Chester Arthur, Millard Filmore and Franklin Pierce. All Presidents that the public can barely remember any facts on except that they did serve as American Presidents.

Harry Truman was once quoted as saying, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." Ironically, during William Clinton's Presidency when he felt all of Washington turned against him, he took that quote to heart and along came Buddy a Labrador Retriever as the Presidential Dog since the Clinton family only came to the White House with their daughter Chelsea's cat named Socks. It appears that most Presidents took Harry Truman's advice as dogs have been the most popular White House pet.The second most popular pet has been cats and the third are horses.

Dogs and Cats have not been the only type of pets to roam the white house grounds. Over the years some presidents have had large menageries of pets. Abraham Lincoln had cats, dogs, ponies, rabbits, pigs and goats. In fact the now annual presidential "Pardoning of the Turkey" for Thanksgiving was started by President Lincoln when his son Tad who befriended a turkey that was given to them for their Thanksgiving Day feast. The turkeys life was spared when his father President Lincoln scribbled a presidential pardon for the turkey on a note to his son.

Some of America's presidents kept rather unique or bizarre pets at the White House. John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator that he kept in one of the White House bathrooms. Calvin Coolidge was given a pygmy hippo as a gift and it was often seen wandering the White House grounds. He was also known to raise silk worms and kept a raccoon that he walked on a leash. President Buchanan was given an elephant by the King of Siam. The elephant stayed on the White House grounds until a more suitable place was found.

Over the years there have been many notable pets who took up residence at the White House among them are horses, cows,sheep, an opossum, goats, tigers, bear cubs, a badger and against all political correctness, there were even gamecocks.

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