During the history of the White House many famous presidents brought along their existing pets, or even received new ones during their stay. While the Presidents over the years did keep some of the classic pets such as dogs and cats, some of them also had more exotic animal companions.
Rebecca:
Rebecca came to the White House after the death of Horace Vose the usual provider of the Thanksgiving Turkey. Rebecca the raccoon was originally gifted to President Calvin Coolidge in 1926 when Calvin Coolidge allowed people to send animals to the White House for Thanksgiving dinner (He had originally attempted to stop this tradition the year before, buying his own turkey instead of allowing farmers to gift them to the White House). President Coolidge refused to eat the raccoon, instead turning it into the White House Pet. The family built her a tree house to live in and was allowed in the family’s house, amusing herself by playing in the bathtub with some soap and enjoying foods such as shrimp, eggs, and cream. Another raccoon was eventually sent over as a companion for Rebecca by a police man. The raccoon’s original name was Horace but was changed to Reuben by the President’s request. However, the two raccoons did not like each other much, and Reuben eventually ran away. When the Coolidges left the White House Rebecca was sent to the Rock Creek Zoo (which is now known as the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute).
Bill:
Bill was a Hyena that was gifted by Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia to President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a huge animal lover, having the most pets out of any other president in the White House which was 48. While the president originally held a dislike towards Hyenas as he viewed them as cowardly, he welcomed Bill into his household. Bill was named by the captain of the ship that had brought him over, informing Roosevelt that the Hyena “laughed all of the time.” The president reportedly fed the Hyena random table scraps as it begged beside the table and taught it some tricks. The hyena eventually went to live in the National Zoo for the remainder of its life after it outgrew the White House.
Sheep in the White House:
During World War I in order to save on lawn maintenance costs, President Woodrow Wilson introduced a flock of sheep to the White House in order to stir up patriotism. The sheep ate the grass on the White House lawn and had their wool auctioned off in order to raise money for the war effort (This money went to the Red Cross). The 90 pounds of wool were sent across the country to be auctioned off by the governors of the states. The flock originally consisted of 16 sheep but this number eventually grew to 48 in total. These sheep were sold 3 years later, after going through many issues such as frequently falling ill from pneumonia.
Tabby & Dixie
Tabby and Dixie were cats owned by Abraham Lincoln during his presidency, and were reportedly the first cats in the White House. The kittens were gifted to Abraham Lincoln by William Seward who was the Secretary of State at the time. Abraham Lincoln was a big fan of cats, so much so that his wife declared that cats was his hobby. He had reportedly said that Dixie had more intelligence than his whole cabinet combined. Abraham Lincoln also cared for stray cats as well, taking in random cats from time to time he had found wandering the streets. Lincoln spent a long time during his stay in the White House petting the cats, and even fed Tabby table scraps during a formal dinner.
Pets in the White House are a common occurrence, even in modern times. While the pets of today may not be as unusual as before, they are still as memorable as the Presidents that reside there.
