People follow presidents for a lot of reasons, and many people like following presidents because of the famous pets that they keep. Even though there are a lot of people who are familiar with the famous cat from Downing Street, located in the United Kingdom, many people are also familiar with the pets that former presidents have had. For example, George Washington is widely believed to have had more pets than any other president. His most famous pet was called Polly the parrot, but he is also known to have had several dozen dogs and horses. It was a challenge for his staff to take care of all of the animals, but they played a significant role in his life.
Even though there are several presidents who have had unusual animals, by far, the most common animal is a dog. For example, Barack Obama had several dogs during the course of his presidency. Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, joined Barack Obama in the White House in 2009. Then, another Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, was introduced to the family in 2013. These dogs are popular because they are appropriate for people with allergies.
In addition, George Bush Jr. had a few dogs in the White House during his time as president. One of the animals to live in the White House was Spot, a Springer spaniel, who also spent time in the White House when his father was in office. In addition, there was a Scottish Terrier, named Miss Beazley, who lived in the White House while he was President as well.
Yes, there are plenty of cats that lived in the White House as well. For example, Ernie was an orange cat that lived in the White House while George Bush Jr. was President. In addition, Bill Clinton had Socks, a cat, who lived in the White House while he was President. There are several other presidents who had cats as well. For example, both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter had Siamese cats in the White House while they were president. Cats are a very common choice for presidents because they are relatively low maintenance.
Even though the most common animals to spend time in the White House are dogs and cats, there are still a few presidents that have gone off the beaten path. For example, Richard Nixon was known to keep fish in the white house while he was president. Of course, George Washington also had a parrot and the White House when he was president. Warren Harding also had a few canaries in the white house while he was in office, and William Taft was known to have had a cow in the White House named Pauline. Woodrow Wilson when a bit off the beaten path as well. He had a ram, a few chickens, and even a sheep as his pets.