Who Was the First Dog Ever to Live in the White House?

Much like presidents, first dogs come and go. They're not elected, but in modern times, presidential dogs have been known to have higher approval ratings than their masters. Of course, dogs aren't the only animal residents of the presidential home, but they've been the most popular pets among first families.

  1. First First Dogs

    • George Washington had a host of horses as well as 17 hounds while he was president, so it's hard to know which of the 17 was actually the "first dog." These pups didn't get to roam the White House halls, anyway, as the presidential home hadn't been built yet. The honor of the first dog to ever live in the White House goes to John Adams' dogs, Juno and Satan, two mixed-breed dogs. President Adams also had the White House stable built for his horse, Cleopatra.

    First Dogs in the 1800s

    • Juno and Satan were the first of many pups to grace the White House. Thomas Jefferson included his briard sheepdog, Buzzy, into the family after receiving him as a gift. James Monroe's daughter loved a black spaniel, and President Tyler gave his wife an Italian greyhound named Le Beau. Dogs Fido and Jip shared the White House with a pig, turkey, cats and the rest of Abraham Lincoln's family. Fido was the first presidential pet to be photographed; sadly he met an untimely end when he was stabbed by a drunk. Presidents Buchanan, Grant, Hayes, Cleveland and Harrison also had dogs. In a nod to politics, President Garfield's dog was named Veto.

    First Dogs in the 1900s

    • Theodore Roosevelt's family had a menagerie, including snakes, cats, birds, ponies and horses. Dogs included a bull terrier, a Chesapeake retriever, a spaniel and a mixed-breed named Skip, one of the president's favorite pups. President Harding had Laddie Boy, an Airedale who became the first "famous" first dog. Other notable presidential pups include FDR's Scottish terrier Fala, President Carter's Grits, President Nixon's dog Checkers, George H. W. Bush's Millie and President Kennedy's Pushinka. Pushinka shared the White House with a wide variety of Kennedy family pets, including canaries, ponies and a rabbit. She had a unique bloodline of her own, as she was the daughter of Strelka, the first Russian dog in space.

    More Dogs and More

    • Most everyone is familiar with President Obama's Portuguese water dog, Bo, and President George W. Bush's dog Barney, a Scottish Terrier. President Bush's other dog, Spot, is the only second-generation presidential pet in history. Spot was born in the White House in 1989 during George H. W. Bush's presidency and returned with the second President Bush. In addition to dogs, cats, birds, horses and rabbits, the White House has had a wide array of pets during its history. Sheep, cows, and even silkworms have called it home during the years, though it's been strictly dogs and cats on the grounds since Richard Nixon held office.