These 30 presidential pet photos, which include adorable puppies and oddball birds, show the real strength of the White House. The furry (and feathered) friends are the ones who steal the show, even though the Commander-in-Chief may be making the important choices.
1. Sunny and Bo
Following Obama’s acceptance of the Official White House Christmas Tree at the White House in 2016, First Lady Michelle, Obama left with her nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson, as well as their dogs Sunny and Bo.
2. India and Miss Beazley
This October 2, 2006, file photo shows Miss Beazley, right, and President George W. Bush’s pets, India, left, seemingly squabbling while out for a stroll on the White House’s South Lawn in Washington.
3. Miss Beazley and Barney
On Monday, January 31, 2005, in Washington, Barney, right, and Miss Beazley, both Scottish terrier dogs, play in the snow on the White House’s South Lawn.
4. Spot and Barney
President Bush is seen in this August 4, 2001 file photo taking his dogs, Barney and Spot, left, to the helicopter after they arrive at Fort Hood, Texas, on their way to the family property in Crawford, Texas, for a vacation.
5. Buddy
President Clinton, First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and their first puppy, Buddy, are shown in this March 13, 1998, file photo leaving the White House for a presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland.
6. Socks
Socks, President Clinton’s beloved cat, looks over the podium in the White House briefing room in Washington in this March 19, 1994, file photo.
7. Millie and Ranger
While waiting for President George H. Bush to return from a round of golf on Sunday, April 29, 1991, First Lady Barbara Bush petted the family dogs, Millie, Bottom, and Ranger, on the White House steps.
8. Rex
First Lady, Nancy Reagan, is seen walking with President Reagan on the White House South lawn in this December 1986 file photo, holding the Reagans’ King Charles spaniel, Rex.
9. Lucky
Following a weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, accompanied by their dog “Lucky,” stroll toward the White House in Washington in this black-and-white file photo from January 6, 1985.
10. Victory
When Republican Ronald Reagan departed Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 8, 1980, to attend the National Mayors Conference in Seattle, he was given a parting gift. Carol Schridler of Milwaukee presented Reagan with a golden retriever named “Victory.”
11. Grits
After returning from church on Sunday, August 6, 1978, President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter play with their dog “Grits” on the White House’s south lawn in Washington, D.C.
12. Misty
On Monday, September 5, 1977, Amy Carter, the daughter of President Carter, arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C., with her kitten, Misty. Amy went to the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland, for the weekend with her parents.
13. Liberty
President Gerald Ford, his daughter Susan, and their dog, Liberty, are seen on the White House’s South Lawn in this October 7, 1974, file photo.
14. King Timahoe
On January 9, 1974, in the Western White House in San Clemente, President Richard Nixon’s dog, King Timahoe, samples the birthday cake that the White House staff gave him during a little celebration. Pat Nixon, the first lady, and her daughter Tricia attended the celebrations together.
15. Pasha and Vicky
These were President Richard M. Nixon’s pet dogs, Vicky and Pasha. And they looked adorable!
16. Yuki
President Lyndon Johnson’s white mongrel, Yuki, seems too eager to join his master as he and Col. Frank C. Malone walk out of the presidential jet at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas, January 11, 1968.
17. Kimberly, Freckles and Him
A Secret Service official untangles the three White House beagles, Kimberly, Freckles, and Him, that traveled with President Lyndon Johnson during his Easter vacation at the LBJ Ranch in April 1966 as he and his family exit their aircraft, which is seen at the top of the ramp.
18. Blanco
On October 6, 1965, in Washington, the Chief Executive stood at his White House desk with his white collie, Blanco, when this study of President Lyndon Johnson was conducted.
19. Him and Her
On April 19, 1964, at the White House flower garden in Washington, President Lyndon Johnson and his family enjoyed the nice weather by playing with their pet beagles, Him and Her. On the left, Luci is playing with him while Lynda, her sister, is by her side.
20. Pushinka
On August 14, 1963, Pushinka, a gift from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to President John F. Kennedy, stands her ground on the White House lawn as the other family dogs go on vacation with the first family at Cape Cod. Stelka, a Soviet space dog, was the mother of Pushinka.
21. Clipper, Charlie, Blackie, White Tip, Streaker, Butterfly, Shannon, and Wolf
The German shepherd “Clipper” watches over eight of President John F. Kennedy’s household’s nine dogs as they pose for an unplanned press conference on August 14, 1963, at Squaw Island in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Charlie, a Welsh terrier, and his four puppies, Blackie, White Tip, Streaker, and Butterfly, are held by White House assistant Traphes Bryant, not necessarily from left to right. Army Signal Corps Capt. Cecil Stoughton holds a fresh arrival, an Irish wolfhound (later named Wolf) and a Cocker Spaniel named Shannon.
22. Macaroni and Tex
On May 17, 1962, Caroline Kennedy’s ponies, Macaroni, standing, and Tex, relax on the White House’s South Lawn grounds in Washington.
23. Checkers
On July 2, 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon is pictured with his dog, “Checkers,” at his residence in the Spring Valley district of Washington, DC.
24. Feller
On December 22, 1947, Feller, a five-week-old cocker spaniel gift to President Truman, sits dejectedly outside its shipping crate in a spacious hallway of the White House in Washington, oblivious to its opulent and imposing surroundings. Poor puppy.
25. Fala
When Fala, the president’s pet Scotty, tried to accompany him from the White House to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 1941, for the president’s third inauguration, Thomas Qualters, on the left, the president’s assistant, lifted the dog from his spot next to his master.
26. Meggie
On August 4, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt unwind with their dog, Meggie, on the lawn of their Hyde Park, New York, mansion.
27. Meggie and Major
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dogs, Meggie the terrier (left) and Major the police dog, were great friends with chauffeur Monte Snyder on the White House grounds on March 24, 1933, in Washington, D.C.
28. President Hoover’s dogs, names unknown
On June 15, 1932, in the last year of his presidency, President Herbert Hoover is pictured in Washington, D.C., with his first wife, Lou Henry Hoover, and their dogs.
29. Skip
In April 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt is seen holding his dog, Skip, in the doorway of a street creek house in Colorado.
30. Bo
Outside the White House’s Oval Office in Washington, President Barack Obama is seen petting the family’s Portuguese water dog, Bo, in this March 15, 2012, file photo.
