Some former pets who frolicked on the White House lawn may surprise you...
Presidential pets are the norm in the White House. We all remember Socks the cat, Buddy the dog of the Bill Clinton Administration, and Barack Obama's lovable pets who lived in the White House, two Portuguese Water Dogs named Bo and Sunny. Do you remember George W. Bush and Laura Bush's Scottish Terriers Barney and Miss Beazley? Franklin D. Roosevelt also had a Scottish Terrier named Fala. Or what about Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon's Cocker Spaniel Checkers? Nobody will forget the Golden Retriever Liberty owned by Gerald Ford. Everyone also wanted Trump and the first family to get a dog, too.
Dogs are obviously the most common presidential pet today, but back in the day, it was apparently acceptable to own bears.
Here are nine of the strangest pets owned by former presidents of the United States of America.
1. Donkeys
Calvin Coolidge and the great George Washington had donkeys on the White House grounds. George Washington's donkey was named Royal Gift and Coolidge's was named Ebeneezer.
2. Coonhounds
Owning Coonhounds isn't that rare, but naming them Drunkard, Taster, Tipler, and Tipsy is. Those were the names of George Washington's hounds.
Mateja Lane
3. Eagles
President James Buchanan had an eagle, which seems like a pretty appropriate presidential pet for the POTUS.
4. Alligators
A strange pet indeed, John Quincy Adams and Herbert Hoover owned alligators while in office. They weren't named.
5. Bears
A whopping three former presidents of the United States owned bears. Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge each had one while Thomas Jefferson had two bear cubs.
6. Hyena
Roosevelt apparently had quite the menagerie, including a hyena.
7. Mice
Andrew Johnson had a soft spot for the mice he would find in the White House, which he would feed. Maybe the cleaning detail wasn't quite up to snuff back in the day.
8. Goats
William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, and Abraham Lincoln all owned goats. Benjamin Harrison's goat was named Whiskers, and Lincoln's were named Nanny and Nanko. William Henry Harrison unfortunately didn't name his.
9. Rooster
William Mckinley and Theodore Roosevelt each had a rooster, but Roosevelt's only had one leg.
Roosevelt for sure wins the contest of the oddest presidential pets in the White House. He had close to 40 animals with entertaining names, like the ones for his guinea pigs: Admiral Dewey, Bishop Doane, Dr. Johnson, Father O'Grady, and Fighting Bob Evans.
What do you think about these odd pets? Tell us on the Wide Open Pets Facebook Page!
READ MORE: Bo and Sunny: The First Dogs Loved Their Presidential Duties
