Just as a lot of us have pets that we love—I have two dogs and six cats—many of our president’s have also had pets. Not surprisingly, dogs have been the most popular pets, but some presidents have had pets that just about anyone would consider unusual. In this article, you will find out about the pets of President George Washington to the pets of President John Quincy Adams.
1. George Washington – The first president was obviously a dog lover. He owned three American Foxhounds (Sweetlips, Scentwell, Vulcan); four Black and Tan Coonhounds (Drunkard, Taster, Tipler, Tipsy); and one Greyhound (Cornwallis).
But dogs weren’t the only animals he owned. He also owned two horses (Nelson, Blueskin); an Andalusian donkey whose name I couldn’t find; and a parrot (Snipe).
During his presidency, he lived in executive residences in New York and Philadelphia.
2. John Adams – The names of his pets aren’t provided, but he owned several mixed breed dogs, two of which were named Juno and Satan.
President Adams was also responsible for building the White House stables. My guess is he had them built as a place for his horse, Cleopatra, to be comfortable.
John Adams lived at the President’s House in Philadelphia for the first part of his presidency, moved to Tunnicliff’s City Hotel near the U.S. Capitol when the White House was nearing its completion, then moved into the White House on November 1, 1800.
3. Thomas Jefferson – Birds were Thomas Jefferson’s favorite animal, and he had four of them. He bought his first mockingbird from a slave of his father-in-law for five shillings in 1772. HIs favorite of the four mockingbirds was Dick.
Explorer Zebulon Pike gifted President Jefferson with two bear cubs! Whatever he thought of this gift, he did keep the bears although they didn’t remain very long at the White House. I’m not sure how I would feel about having two pet bears. He also owned several dogs.
4. James Madison – James Madison, our fourth president, had only one pet: a parrot. This parrot, Polly, would often stay perched on the shoulder of Dolley Madison as she went about her daily life. Can you imagine what a conversation starter that would have been? Excuse me, do you realize you have a parrot on your shoulder?
Polly, a Macaw parrot who could live for up to 50 years, had a bit of a reputation for being naughty and saying vulgar words. She was even known to dive bomb and attack guests. Once, she even bit the president himself.
5. James Monroe – President James Monroe only had one pet, a dog. It was a small black spaniel whose name I couldn’t find.
6. John Quincy Adams – John Quincy Adams had a very unusual pet, one that would be rather unsettling to have. But what could he do? Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer who played a significant role in both the American and French Revolutions, gifted a live alligator to him.
John Quincy’s wife, Louisa, also had some rather unusual pets, but as far as I know, they weren’t gifted to her. She owned some silkworms, raised them, and used the thread they produced for embroidery.
Writing Prompt: Choose any president along with one of their corresponding animals and write a story about their real or pretended adventures. These animals lived through some outstanding historical times, so they must have seen so much and had some fantatic adventures! I think it would be perfect if you used one of the president’s children in these adventures.
