By Marisa Laudadio
7:35pm PST, Feb 20, 2023
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Take a look back at the canines (and a few felines!) who've called the White House home over the last century…
First daughter Amy Carter is pictured with her Siamese cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang, circa 1978 when she lived with her parents, President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter, in the White House in Washington, D.C.
Keep reading to see the Carters' other White House pet, plus more adorable political animals…
MORE: Celebs with their pets in 2023
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President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter played with their dog, a border collie mix named Grits — a gift from their daughter Amy's teacher — on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., after returning from church on Aug. 6, 1978. According to reports, Grits was born on the same day the president was elected, though the family later returned him to Amy's teacher allegedly due to some behavioral problems.
MORE: Royals with cute animals
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President Ronald Reagan, first lady Nancy Reagan and their Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Rex, attended the White House tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 1, 1985.
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In January 2022, first lady Jill Biden took to Twitter to introduce the world to her family's newest pet: Willow, a 2-year-old green-eyed short-haired gray tabby cat she and President Joe Biden adopted from Pennsylvania. Willow — who's named after the first lady's hometown, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and is seen here wandering around the White House in a photo released in January 2022 — "made quite an impression on Dr. Biden in 2020 when she jumped up on the stage and interrupted her remarks during a campaign stop," Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesman, told The New York Times. "Seeing their immediate bond, the owner of the farm knew that Willow belonged with Dr. Biden."
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WIllow the gray tabby cat joined President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in Washington, D.C., in January 2022. "Willow is settling into the White House with her favorite toys, treats and plenty of room to smell and explore," Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesman, told The New York Times shortly after the feline's arrival. According to the Times, the last cat to live in the White House was India, a black cat that belonged to President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush. The newspaper also reported that presidential cat history goes back pretty far — in the 1860s, Abraham Lincoln's secretary of state, William H. Seward, gave him two cats he adored, Tabby and Dixie. According to Andrew Hager, historian-in-residence at the Presidential Pet Museum, Lincoln often fed Tabby from the dinner table against his wife's wishes and once quipped that Dixie was "smarter than his entire cabinet."
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President Bill Clinton's family pets — Socks the cat and Buddy the dog — hung out in the outer Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 5, 1998.
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President Bill Clinton and White House photographer Sharon Farmer watched as his dog, Buddy, and his cat, Socks, barked and hissed at each other on the lawn outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 1988.
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Socks the cat — the first pet of President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton — checked out a pile of Easter eggs on the White House lawn in April 1994.
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President Bill Clinton chatted with New York Governor Mario Cuomo and Texas Governor Ann Richards at the White House as daughter Chelsea Clinton watched Super Bowl XXVII on TV with pet cat Socks on her lap on Jan. 31, 1993.
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President Bill Clinton's cat, Socks, sat atop a deer statue in the White House garden on Dec. 25, 1994, as the Clintons headed to church.
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On Dec. 20, 2021, President Joe Biden introduced the public to his new 3-month-old German shepherd puppy in a video posted on Twitter he captioned, "Meet the newest Biden." A couple days later, the POTUS and first lady Jill Biden played with their adorable pup on a couch while virtually meeting with U.S. military service members on Christmas Day. Commander arrived six months after the death of the Bidens' German shepherd, Champ. He was a gift from the president's brother James Biden and sister-in-law Sara Biden.
Keep reading for another photo of Commander…
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This is the first photo that President Joe Biden publicly shared of his energetic German shepherd puppy, Commander, after the little rascal joined the first family in December 2021. "Welcome to the White House, Commander," the POTUS captioned this snapshot of the 3-month-old dog fetching a tennis ball.
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On June 19, 2021, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden shared the sad news that Champ, their 13-year-old German Shepherd, "passed away peacefully at home. He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family," they said in a statement. "Even as Champ's strength waned in his last months, when we came into a room, he would immediately pull himself up, his tail always wagging, and nuzzle us for an ear scratch or a belly rub. Wherever we were, he wanted to be, and everything was instantly better when he was next to us." They continued, "He loved nothing more than curling up at our feet in front of a fire at the end of the day, joining us as a comforting presence in meetings, or sunning himself in the White House garden. In our most joyful moments and in our most grief-stricken days, he was there with us, sensitive to our every unspoken feeling and emotion." The statement concluded, "We love our sweet, good boy and will miss him always." Champ is seen here with the president in the Oval Office in February 2021.
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President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden moved into the White House on Jan. 20, 2021. Four days later, their two dogs — German shepherds Champ and Major — joined them. The president is seen here getting an Oval Office visit from Champ and Major on Feb. 9, 2021. Fun fact: Only two presidents — Donald Trump and James K. Polk — have not had pets while in office.
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Major — who was adopted by President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018 — was photographed playing outside the White House on Jan. 24, 2021. He was the first rescue dog to ever live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. In late 2020, after a series of biting incidents in the East Wing, The New York Times reported, Major left the White House to live with friends of the Bidens. "After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists and veterinarians, the first family has decided to follow the experts' collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends," a spokesperson said in a statement. "This is not in reaction to any new or specific incident, but rather a decision reached after several months of deliberation as a family and discussions with experts."
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First lady Jill Biden gave some love to Champ, who joined her family in 2008, outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2021.
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President Barack Obama and his daughters Malia and Sasha walked the family's new Portuguese water dog, Bo, during their new pet's introduction to the White House press corps on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2009. The 6-month-old puppy — the breed is considered a good one for kids with allergies, like Malia — was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy, who owned several Portuguese water dogs.
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President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, posed for a family portrait with their pets — Portuguese water dogs Sunny (who joined the family in 2013) and Bo (who was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009) — in the Rose Garden of the White House on Easter Sunday in 2015.
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President George W. Bush's English springer spaniel, Spot, was caught with a tennis ball on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 23, 2001. Spot was the offspring of Millie, who was former President George H. Bush's family dog.
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President George H. W. Bush did some work with two of his dog Millie's two-month-old puppies at his side — with plenty of newspaper spread on floor since they were being potty trained at the time — in the White House on May 16, 1989.
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On Jan. 20, 1993 — inauguration day — outgoing President George H. W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush introduced their dog Millie to President-elect Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton on the steps of the White House.
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President Herbert Hoover posed with his pet dog, King Tut, in this photo taken in the 1930s.
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President Richard M. Nixon greeted his dogs — Irish setter King Timahoe, Yorkshire terrier Pasha and French poodle Vicky — outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 1970.
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John F. Kennedy Jr. mischievously leaned out of his baby carriage parked on the White House grounds and reached for the family's pet dog Charlie on April 12, 1962.
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First lady Barbara Bush crouched beside her springer spaniel Millie's birthing box after playing midwife and helping deliver the dog's litter of six puppies, with granddaughter Marshall looking on, at the White House on May 18, 1989.
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On Christmas Day 1962, President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy posed with family dog Clipper, a German shepherd, and family members including Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., Anthony Radziwill, Prince Stanislaus Radziwill, Lee Radziwill and their daughter, Anna Christina Radziwill.
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First lady Michelle Obama held Sunny and older daughter Malia held Bo as younger daughter Sasha looked on while welcoming the official White House Christmas tree to their residence in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29, 2013.
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Then-first lady Michelle Obama joined then-second lady Jill Biden and her German shepherd Champ at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2012, to work on a Mother's Day initiative during a Joining Forces service event.
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President George H. W. Bush played with some of his dog Millie's puppies on the White House lawn on May 4, 1989.
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President George H. W. Bush returned to the White House after flying back from Camp David on Marine One and landing on the South Lawn on June 28, 1992. He was accompanied by son George W. Bush and the family dogs, Millie (pictured) and Ranger.
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First lady Barbara Bush admired her dog Millie's new puppies as they romped around a pen inside the White House on April 1, 1989.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson, first lady Lady Bird Johnson and their daughters played with their beagles in the flower garden of the White House on April 19, 1964.
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First lady Mamie Eisenhower posed with her Weimaraner, Heidi, in front of a portrait of former President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., in 1958.
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President George H. W. Bush cuddled one of family dog Millie's new springer spaniel puppies on the grounds of the White House on March 29, 1989.
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President George W. Bush carried his dog Barney as first lady Laura Bush held their other Scottish terrier, Miss Beazley, after stepping off Air Force One on Dec. 26, 2005, upon landing in Waco, Texas, on their way to their Crawford, Texas, ranch to ring in the New Year.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt posed with his Scottish terrier, Fala, and young girl Ruthie Bie in Hyde Park, New York, in 1941.
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President George W. Bush waved as his dogs Barney and Miss Beazley scurried off Marine One upon their return to the White House on Aug. 13, 2006, following a vacation to his Crawford, Texas, ranch.
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President Bill Clinton cuddled with his new puppy, a 3-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever he'd soon name Buddy,
on Jan. 4, 1998.
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President Calvin Coolidge and first lady Grace Coolidge posed with one of their dogs on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C., circa 1927.
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President Bill Clinton bent over to congratulate his new chocolate labrador retriever, Buddy, for sitting and offering his paw in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 13, 1998.
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President Gerald R. Ford worked on budget matters in the Oval Office while petting his golden retriever, Liberty, on Nov. 8, 1974.
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The Clinton family cat, Socks sat on President Bill Clinton's shoulder on March 25, 1993, after he finished his morning jog.
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President Ronald Reagan walked across the White House lawn with first lady Nancy Reagan and their dog, Lucky, upon returning from Camp David on Sept. 1, 1985.
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In this portrait of the Ford family taken in 1978, first lady Betty Ford and President Gerald Ford and their children posed with the family's golden retriever, Liberty.
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Ronald Reagan walked his dog Lucky, a Bouvier des Flandres dog, on Air Force One on Nov. 26, 1985.
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President Warren G. Harding greeted his Airedale terrier, Laddie Boy, on the steps of the White House on April 9, 1923.
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Less than a year before he assumed the presidency, Gerald Ford posed at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, in November 1973 with sons Steven Ford and John Ford, daughter Susan Ford, wife Betty Ford and Susan's Siamese cat, Shan.
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When President John F. Kennedy and his family returned to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 1963, from a holiday vacation in Florida, first daughter Caroline Kennedy's Welsh terrier, Charlie, broke away from her. She gave chase and finally caught up with him on the tarmac as a helicopter crew member prepared to help.
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When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was leaving the White House for the Capitol to take the oath of office on Jan. 20, 1941, his Scottish terrier, Fala, invited himself into the car.
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President Gerald Ford, the first lady and their daughter gave some loving attention to their family's golden retriever, Liberty, as she nursed her first litter of puppies on Sept. 17, 1975.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson took to the White House grounds to walk two of his dogs — Him, a beagle, and Blanco, a collie — as journalists trailed behind on April 9, 1965.
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Margaret Truman, the daughter of President Harry Truman, played with her dog, Mike, at the White House in 1945.
