Scottie Dog

 

The first dog in the White House to receive attention from the press was Laddie Boy, President Harding’s photogenic Airedale. Teddy Roosevelt (and his kids) had several pets, including snakes, dogs, cats, a badger, birds, and guinea pigs. F.D.R. had a Scottie dog named Fala, and George W. Bush had three: Barney, India and Miss Beasley. Lyndon Johnson had two beagles, named Him and Her. Socks Clinton was the white house cat from 1993 to 2001. Barack Obama promised his daughters they could have a dog when they moved into the White House. They selected Bo, a hypo-allergenic Portuguese water dog. Until recently, the only U.S. president without a pet was James Polk. When asked about his pet-free situation, the current president said he didn’t have time to care for an animal, and adopting a pet felt phony. “Besides,” he quipped, “How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?”