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- President Barack Obama and his dog Bo were very close.
- source
- Getty
- Dogs are the most popular pet for a president to have during his time in the White House.
- Despite the longtime presidential tradition, President Donald Trump has yet to bring a dog into the White House, saying after two years in office that he would feel “a little phony doing so.”
- But daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump did get her daughter Arabella a dog in July.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.
Dogs have been the most popular pet for a president to have during his time in the White House – 30 of the 44 presidents have had at least one dog in the West Wing.
The first to have had a dog during his presidency was George Washington, while Barack Obama most recently had two dogs during his presidency.
So far, President Donald Trump has yet to have a pet since entering the White House, and shows no sign of changing his pet ownership status, making him the most recent president to not have a dog in the White House since William McKinley over 100 years ago.
But daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump got her daughter Arabella a puppy named Winter for her eighth birthday. While Winter won’t live in the White House, the newest member of the Kushner family is the first dog for this first family:
Here are 25 photos of some of the most adorable and well-known canines to grace the Oval Office.
Grover Cleveland’s cocker spaniel named Gallagher had a brown coat and ears of “inconvenient length.”
Source: America Comes Alive
Warren Harding’s terrier, named Laddie Boy, was six months old when he moved into the White House.
Source: America Comes Alive
Calvin Coolidge’s collie Rob Roy was named after the popular cocktail.
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- President Calvin Coolidge stands outdoors with his wife Grace, their two sons, and their pet white collie Rob Roy in the 1920s.
- source
- Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Herbert Hoover had a Belgian shepherd named King Tut, who would patrol the gates of the White House on a nightly basis. He also helped Hoover get elected, appearing in a campaign photo.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum, The Hoover Presidential Library
Franklin Roosevelt’s German shepherd, Major, used to chase the White House maids around.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
FDR also had a Scottish terrier named Fala that would often accompany the president on his travels.
Source: BarkPost
Harry Truman gave away his dog, a cocker spaniel named Feller, to a family physician because he was not a dog lover.
- source
- White House photo
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave John F. Kennedy a dog named Pushinka as a gift.
Source: BBC
Other than Pushinka, JFK had eight dogs, including his German shepherd named Clipper.
Source: JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Two of Lyndon B. Johnson’s beagles, Him and Her, were frequently on the receiving end of the president pulling their long ears.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
One of Lyndon B. Johnson’s beagles named Kimberly was given to his daughter Luci.
Source: America Comes Alive
Luci also got another one of his beagles named Freckles.
Source: America Comes Alive
LBJ found his fifth dog, a terrier mix named Yuki, at a Texas gas station on Thanksgiving in 1966.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Richard Nixon’s three dogs were an Irish setter named King Timahoe, a poodle named Vicki, and a terrier named Pasha.
Source: America Comes Alive
Gerald Ford and his daughter Susan had a golden retriever named Liberty. Susan got Liberty as a surprise for her father when she was a puppy. Years later, Liberty had nine puppies of her own.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Jimmy Carter had a border collie mix named Grits that was born on the same day Carter was elected president.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Ronald Reagan had two White House dogs. The one seen here was a Bouvier des Flandres named Lucky that Nancy Reagan received as a gift in 1984.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Reagan’s other dog in the White House was a Charles Spaniel named Rex.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
George H.W. Bush had two Springer Spaniels, Millie and Ranger.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Bill Clinton named his chocolate Labrador retriever Buddy after his great-uncle.
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
George W. Bush and his first dog in the White House, an English Springer Spaniel named Spot, was one of Millie’s puppies.
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- President George W. Bush waves as he walks toward the Oval Office with his dog Spot September 23, 2002 in Washington, DC.
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- Alex Wong/Getty Images
Source: Presidential Pet Museum
Bush also had two Scottish Terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley, who were separated in age by four years.
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- President George W. Bush waves as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House with his dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, August 13, 2006 in Washington, DC.
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- Evan Sisley-Pool/Getty Images
Source: George W. Bush Presidential Center
The Obamas had two famous Portuguese Water dogs named Bo and Sunny.
Source: The Washington Post
Bo often exercised and played with the president.
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- President Barack Obama runs down the East Colonnade with family dog, Bo, on the dog’s initial visit to the White House, March 15, 2009. Bo came back to live at the White House in April.
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- Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Source: White House
Bo and Sunny were so popular that they apparently had official White House schedules for all of their appearances.
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- President Barack Obama and Bo in the Oval Office.
Source: PBS
Donald Trump bucked White House tradition when he went two years in office without a dog.
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- Trump returns to the White House after receiving his annual physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 8, 2019 in Washington, DC.
- source
- Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images
Trump told a crowd in February 2018 that though he “wouldn’t mind having one,” he doesn’t have any time and getting a dog to improve his image would feel “a little phony.”
Source: Business Insider