Presidential Dogs: The Complete Guide to the First Dogs of The U.S.

A reader recently asked: Which U.S. presidents had dogs and what were their breeds? Never ones to ignore animal-related questions, we immediately got to work and created a list of presidential dogs. Which president had eight dogs but no children? Which first family had over 30 pets and gave the White House a Robinson Crusoe vibe? Continue reading to learn about the dogs that called the White House home.

President George Washington

George Washington, the country’s first president, had several dogs including three American foxhounds named Vulcan, Scentwell, and Sweetlips and four black and tan coonhounds with themed names: Drunkard, Tipsy, Taster, and Tipler. He also had a greyhound named after the top British general of the American Revolutionary War: Cornwallis.

President John Adams

John Adams, the 2nd U.S. president, and his family had three dogs named Juno, Mark, and Satan! Abigail Adams enjoyed a special relationship with Juno and frequently mentioned the canine in letters to family and friends. In a missive to her granddaughter Caroline, the first lady said:

“If you love me … you must love my dog. You will be glad to learn that Juno yet lives, although, like her mistress, she is gray with age.”

Later in the letter, Mrs. Adams further gushed:

“[Juno] appears to enjoy life and be grateful for the attention paid her. She wags her tail and announces a visitor whenever one appears.”

Though the Adams family pups’ breeds remain a mystery, we know they were the first canines to live in the White House, as John Adams was the first president to call the people’s house home.

President Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the nation’s 3rd president. He had two dogs, Bergère and Grizzle, who each had litters. Commonly described as herding dogs from France, today’s canine aficionados believe they were likely Briards. 

Jefferson purposefully acquired Bergère in Europe days before heading back to the Americas. He believed the breed was worthy of “colonization” in the United States, along with Angora goats, Angora rabbits, hares, nightingales, red-legged partridges, and skylarks.    

Grizzle, another French sheepdog, was sent to Jefferson in 1790 from Normandy.

The notoriously prolific third president kept detailed records of his canine companions. Bergère was his favorite, and he described her offspring as “remarkably quiet, faithful, and abounding in the good qualities.” He was less enamored of Grizzle’s progeny, calling them “mischievous.”

President James Monroe

James Monroe was the 5th president of the United States, and pet historians believe two dogs lived in the White House during his tenure. The first was a spaniel named Buddy, which letters and accounts indicate belonged to his teenage daughter, Maria. The second purported Monroe canine was a Siberian husky named Sebastian, but his existence is disputed.

President John Tyler

According to various sources, John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States, had an Italian greyhound named Le Beau and two Irish wolfhounds. Accounts from the time mention Le Beau frequently frolicking on the White House lawn. However, very little was written about the Irish Wolfhounds, alas, their names are lost to history.

President Franklin Pierce

The 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, had two miniature Japanese chins. The Japanese government gifted the two pups to Pierce to commemorate the Perry Expedition, a diplomatic ocean exploration led by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry. 

President James Buchanan

James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, had two dogs: a Newfoundland named Lara and a toy terrier called Punch. Lara weighed 170 pounds, looked like a bear, and frequently made the news. An article in a popular magazine of the day said of her:

“Prominent also is Mr. Buchanan’s Newfoundland dog, Lara, remarkable for [her] immense tail and [her] attachment to [her] master…. This dog will hereafter become historical as a resident of the White House.” 

Buchanan reportedly had a toy terrier named Punch, but barely anything is known about him.

President Abraham Lincoln

The 16th POTUS had two pups, and Jip and Fido were their names. Both were mixed-breed Mutts. Pet historians believe Jip was likely part poodle. Fido was a famous canine in his day and lived with the Lincolns in Springfield, Illinois. He trailed Abraham around town and carried parcels in his mouth to help with errands. But Fido had a bad case of anxiety and cowed in the face of loud noises and crowds. So when the Lincolns moved to Washington, knowing the bustle of presidential life would cause Fido great stress, they left him with John Roll, who cared for the big yellow dog. 

When John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865, Roll brought Fido to Washington, D.C. for the funeral. Several years later, Fido died in the same way as his master: murder. According to an account:

“Charlie Plank, a half-drunken man, was one day whittling a pine stick when Fido came bounding along and, as usual, sprang forward with his fore feet raised. In drunken rage, the man thrust his knife into the animal, and poor Fido ran away, not to be found for a month after, when his lifeless body was discovered under an old church.”  

Jip lived with the Lincolns at the White House. His exact breed is unknown, but based on descriptions, Jip was likely a mixed-breed toy poodle or similar-looking dog. He frequently sat on Lincoln’s lap during mealtimes and was given free rein to roam.

Jip also entertained guests and did tricks. Surviving correspondences describe him as “a very cunning little fellow” and “a very beautiful little dog.” One visitor said the pup could “bark and stand up straight on his hind feet and [hold] his fore feet up.” 

President Ulysses S. Grant

Leader of the Union Army and 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, had two dogs. The first was a Newfoundland named Faithful. The other was named Rosie, but her breed is unknown.

Faithful was the primary companion of Grant’s son, Jesse, but the entire family adored the Newfie. They were so attached to the animal the president sent the White House staff a dire warning:

“If this dog dies, every employee in the White House will be at once discharged.”

Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes, America’s 19th president, his wife, Lucy Ware Webb, and their eight children were enthusiastic dog lovers who cared for eight canines!

The Hayeses had a cocker spaniel named Dot, Hector a Newfoundland, an English mastiff named Duke, Otis a miniature schnauzer, a pair of hunting dogs called Juno and Shep, and their favorite, a greyhound named Grim.

In addition to their coterie of canines, the family kept three cats and a mockingbird in the White House. Outside, on the lawns, the first family had pet goats, cows, and horses! Of their pet menagerie, Rutherford B. Hayes once commented that the animals added “a Robinson Crusoe touch to our mode of life.”

Most is known about Duke, the English mastiff, and Grim, the family’s greyhound. The former kept a close eye on the children while Grim adored the first lady. The greyhound purportedly liked to “sing” the national anthem with Lucy. A contemporaneous report explained:

“One day, as Lucy sang the Star-Spangled Banner, Grim lifted his head and howled most pitifully. And ever after, when his mistress sang the national anthem, Grim began to howl.”

President James A. Garfield’s Dog: Newfoundland

The 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield had a black Newfoundland named Veto. A superstar pet in his day, reporters frequently reported on Veto’s comings and goings. Heroically, the large dog once saved a horse. Another time, he alerted everyone when a nearby farm caught fire!

President Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland — the 22nd and 24th president of the United States and the first man to be elected for two non-consecutive terms — had four dogs: a Japanese poodle and three dachshunds. The dachshunds arrived in Cleveland’s second term as a gift for his wife sent by a U.S. consul serving in Germany. At the time, dachshunds were new to the Americas and had only recently crossed the Atlantic with German immigrants. The Clevelands also had a prize-winning Japanese poodle named Hector, a fox terrier named Millie, and a cocker spaniel named Gallagher. Of Millie and Gallagher, a New York Times journalist once reported: 

“Both animals take great liberties with Mr. Cleveland when he is accessible to them and when not otherwise employed, are rolling each other about on the lawn.”

President Benjamin Harrison

The 23rd president of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, had a goat, two alligators, a pair of opossums, and a collie named Dash. Other dogs reportedly lived in the White House at the time, but they didn’t make the annals of history.

Dash was the standout. He had a fancy dog house on White House grounds and was often mentioned by reporters. According to legend, Dash clamored for Benjamin Harrison’s attention. But the president was awkward around the dog. Apparently, he didn’t want colleagues “to think of him as less of a man” for playing in their presence. 

President Theodore Roosevelt

The 26th president of the United States and renowned conservationist, Theodore Roosevelt, had lots of pets. He and his family cared for 32 non-human animals over the years! Of those 32, nine were dogs:

• Blackjack — Manchester terrier
• Gem — mutt
• Susan — mutt
• Jack — terrier
• Peter — terrier
• Pete — bull terrier
• Rollo — Saint Bernard
• Skip — mongrel
• Sailor Boy — Chesapeake Bay retriever

Most of the Roosevelt dogs were easy-going. But ole Pete, the bull terrier, had a habit of “chomping on one too many legs.” Ultimately, White House life wasn’t for him, so the Roosevelts sent the frisky pup to live at their Long Island estate permanently. 

President William Howard Taft

During the 27th president’s White House stint, one dog lived on the grounds: Caruso. The pup was a gift to Taft’s daughter, Helen, from opera singer Enrico Caruso who’d performed for the first family. Other than its name, nothing is known about the canine — the Tafts talked more about their two pet cows, Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne.

President Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, was a terrier man. He had two: Davie, an Airedale terrier, and Bruce, a bull terrier. Little is known about the pups, but Wilson believed in the innate integrity of the canine soul, once remarking:

“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.”

President Warren G. Harding

Laddie Boy and Old Boy were the 29th president’s, Warren G. Harding’s, two dogs. The former was an Airedale terrier and the latter a bulldog. 

According to the Smithsonian, Laddie Boy holds the title of “first celebrity White House dog.” Newspapers of the day regularly reported on his antics, and Laddie Boy even had an official portrait! The famous canine did nearly everything with President Harding and his wife Florence, from golf outings to charity events. Historian Tom Crouch explains:

“While no one remembers him today, Laddie Boy’s contemporary fame puts Roosevelt’s Fala, LBJ’s beagles, and Barney Bush in the shade. That dog got a huge amount of attention in the press. There have been famous dogs since, but never anything like this.”

President Calvin Coolidge

Like Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, the nation’s 30th president, loved animals. In addition to a menagerie of wildlife pets, the Coolidges had 12 dogs!

• Rob Roy — collie
• Prudence Prim — collie
• Peter Pan — ox terrier
• Paul Pry — Airedale terrier
• Calamity Jane — Shetland sheepdog
• Tiny Tim — Chow Chow
• Blackberry — Chow Chow
• Ruby Rouch — collie
• Boston Beans — Boston Bulldog
• King Cole — Belgian sheepdog
• Palo Alto — English setter
• Bessie — collie

Rob Roy was the family favorite, and artists of the era were just as enamored with him as the first family. As a result, there are many surviving photographs and paintings of the dog. Sadly, Rob Roy caught an illness in 1928 and was rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment. But, the sickness overpowered the potential remedies, and Rob Roy passed away. When he died, Coolidge lamented:

“His especial delight was to ride with me in the boats when I went fishing. So although I know he would bark for joy as the grim boatman ferried him across the dark waters of the Styx, yet his going left me lonely on the hither shore.” 

President Herbert Hoover

The 31st president, Herbert Hoover, was an undeniable dog man. The Depression Era leader had nine! 

• King Tut — Belgian Shepherd
• Pat — German shepherd
• Big Ben — fox terrier
• Sonnie — fox terrier
• Glen — Scotch collie
• Yukonan — Canadian Eskimo dog
• Patrick — Irish wolfhound
• Eaglehurst Gillette — setter
• Weegie — Norwegian elkhound

When running for the country’s top job, Hoover’s PR handlers incorporated his beloved Belgian shepherd, King Tut, into campaigning because it made the reserved Hoover more relatable. And it worked! The people elected Herbert Hoover, and to this day, King Tut is credited with winning the presidency.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Like his cousin Theo, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a U.S. president who loved animals. The 32nd president had seven dogs.

• Fala — Scottish Terrier
• Major — German shepherd
• Meggie — Scottish terrier
• Winks — English setter
• Tiny — Old English sheepdog
• President — Great Dane
• Blaze — Bullmastiff

Major, his German shepherd, was a retired NYPD canine — but Fala, his favorite Scottish terrier, was a bona fide star who even became a political lightning rod. Roosevelt’s opponents accused Franklin of forgetting the pup on the Aleutian Islands while on tour and sending a Navy Destroyer to retrieve the dog. The story was false, and Roosevelt addressed the rumor in a now-famous speech called “the Fala speech,” which screenwriter and director Orson Welles helped craft. In it, Roosevelt admonished:

These…leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Well, of course, I don’t resent attacks, and my family don’t resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the …fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I’d left him behind on an Aleutian island and had sent a destroyer back to find him – at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars – his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself … But I think I have a right to resent, to object, to libelous statements about my dog.

Fala outlived FDR, and the animal’s likeness is included in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial statute in Washington, DC.

President Harry S. Truman

Feller, a Cocker Spaniel, and Mike, an Irish setter, were the 33rd president’s two canines — and Truman couldn’t stand either of them!

The two dogs landed in the Trumans’ lives for short periods, but Harry and his wife Bess weren’t big on animals and “preferred to be a pet-free family.” Upon moving into the White House, the Trumans received a cocker spaniel puppy named Feller as a present from a home-state supporter. But within weeks, Feller was living at Truman’s doctor’s house. Their other dog, Mike the Irish setter, was given to Margaret Truman, the president’s daughter, as a gift. According to the official story, Mike was sickly, so the Trumans gave the pup to a farmer in Virginia who could better care for him.

According to dog expert Stanley Coren, when asked about his family’s habit of offloading pets, Truman snipped:

“I didn’t ask for [them], and I don’t need [them].”

The former president also went on the record as calling Mike “a d*mn nuisance.” 

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the nation’s 34th president, and his family had a beloved pet dog named Heidi. A Weimaraner, Heidi frequently made the news, but she only lived at the White House for a brief period, preferring the family farm in Virginia where she had a large litter of puppies. 

President John F. Kennedy

One of the nation’s most famous presidents, John F. Kennedy, the 35th commander in chief, and his family had many dogs throughout the years. 

• Gaullie — poodle
• Charlie — Welsh terrier
• Moe — doberman pinscher
• Pushinka — mutt
• Shannon — cocker spaniel
• Wolf — Irish wolfhound and schnauzer mix
• Clipper — German shepherd

Pushinka, a small mutt, was a gift to the Kennedys from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The dog was an offspring of Strelka, one of the first Soviet Space Dogs to orbit the Earth and return home safely. Pushinka and Charlie, the family’s Welsh terrier, had offspring — Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker — whom Kennedy called the “pupniks.”

In an interview, John F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that he and his sister Caroline taught Pushnika how to use their playground slide on the White House grounds. The president’s son reminisced, “Sending the dog down that slide is probably my first memory.”

President Lyndon Johnson

America’s 36th president, Lyndon B. Johnson, had several dogs.

• Him — beagle
• Her — beagle
• Edgar — beagle
• Blanco — collie
• Freckles — beagle
• Yuki — mongrel

Yuki ranks among the most famous first dogs. The Mongrel frequently sang duets — aka howled — with his master for White House guests. They also enjoyed the spotlight and were often photographed with the commander-in-chief. 

President Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon, the only president to resign while in office, had four dogs: poodle Vicki, terrier Pasha, Irish setter King Timahoe, and cocker spaniel Checkers. According to legend, King Timahoe wasn’t a fan of Nixon, but some Americana enthusiasts dispute the claim. 

President Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford’s family, the 38th first family, had three first dogs: Liberty, a golden retriever, Misty, Liberty’s pup, and Lucky, a mutt.  Photographers loved to capture Liberty around the White House, and many pictures survived. The dog spent gobs of time in the Oval Office and South Lawn. On September 14, 1975, Liberty birthed a litter at the White House, and the Fords kept one, Misty. In a famous speech, Ford talked about Liberty’s constant presence around the presidential compound:

“This puppy has really taken over the White House. In fact, you may have seen some of us laughing up here during dinner. As I reached in my pocket to get a match to light my pipe, look what I pulled out of the pocket — some dog biscuits!”

President Jimmy Carter

The 39th president, Jimmy Carter, and his family had two first dogs. Grits was a mixed breed/springer spaniel given to his daughter Amy by Verona Meeder, a public school teacher. Coincidentally, Grits was born the same day Carter won the election. But the dog didn’t last long at the White House. Unfortunately, Grits snapped at several guests and tended to urinate around the West Wing. Ultimately, he went back to Ms. Meeder and enjoyed life out of the spotlight. The Carters had another dog named Lewis Brown. He was an Afghan hound who rarely left the White House residence, so little is known about the pup.

President Ronald Regan

America’s first actor-turned-president, Ronald Regan, the country’s 40th president, had several dogs.

• Lucky — Bouvier des Flandres
• Rex — Cavalier King Charles spaniel
• Victory — golden retriever
• Peggy — Irish setter
• Taca — Siberian husky
• Fuzzy — Belgian sheepdog

Lucky, a Bouvier des Flandres, was the first dog in Regan’s early years as president, but he retired to the family’s California compound after a few years. Enter Rex, a gift to Nancy Regan. The Cavalier King Charles spaniel remained the first dog till the end of Regan’s two terms. None of the other Regan canines were White House dogs. Instead, they lived at the family’s homes in California.

President George H.W. Bush

The first Bush president, George H.W. Bush, was the 41st president of the United States, and he had two dogs: Millie and Ranger. Both were English springer spaniels, and Ranger was one of Millie’s puppies. Bush once credited the canine for knowing “more about foreign affairs than” Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Millie was referred to as “the most famous dog in White House history” and was portrayed on several sitcoms in the 1990s, including Murphy Brown, Wings, Who’s the Boss, and The Simpsons. A dog park in Texas is named after the now-deceased pup.

President William J. Clinton

Buddy was first dog under the Clinton Administration. He arrived at the White House in 1997 and was named after Clinton’s great-uncle, Henry Oren “Buddy” Grisham. The dog didn’t get along with his sibling, Socks, the Clintons’ cat, and the two had to be kept in separate quarters. 

President George W. Bush

The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, and his family had three dogs: Spotty, Barney, and Miss Beazley. The first was an English Springer spaniel related to Millie, the former first dog, and the other two were Scottish terriers. Spotty was named after a Texas baseball player and one of the few first dogs born at the White House. She also was the only presidential pet to live in the White House for two non-consecutive terms. Barney was the first presidential pet to have a web page, and Miss Beazley was the star of a White House Christmas video entitled A Very Beazley Christmas in 2005.

President Barack Obama

Bo and Sunny Obama were the first dogs under the 44th president, Barack Obama. The two hypoallergenic Portuguese water dogs were carefully considered to accommodate Malia Obama’s allergies. White House photographers widely captured Bo and Sunny. 

President Joe Biden

The Biden dogs are both German shepherds, and Major is the first rescue dog to make his way to the White House! Major proved too anxious to live in the spotlight and was re-homed with a family in Connecticut. His replacement, Commander, was likewise not suitable for life at the White House. Commander was involved in several biting incidents, including one that required stitches!