Iconic Photos of White House Pets Throughout History

John F. Kennedy had a total of eight White House dogs.

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Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave Kennedy a dog named Pushinka as a gift.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s beagles, Him and Her, became national celebrities thanks to a spread in Life magazine in 1964.

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Him was bred with another beagle in 1965. Johnson’s daughter Luci adopted two puppies from that litter, Kim and Freckles.

Johnson was criticized for the way he frequently pulled his beagles up by the ears.

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The Chicago Humane Society criticized the ear-pulling in an 1964 New York Times article, saying it was the “wrong way” to lift an animal.

President Richard Nixon greeted visitors with his Yorkshire terrier Pasha in 1969.

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Nixon’s three dogs were an Irish setter named King Timahoe, a poodle named Vicki, and a terrier named Pasha.

Harry Truman’s cocker spaniel, Feller, posed outside the White House in 1947.

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Feller was sent to Truman by a supporter. He gave the dog away to a family physician because he was not a dog lover.

President Gerald Ford was photographed with his golden retriever, Liberty, in the second story family room of the White House executive residence in 1975.

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Ford’s daughter Susan got Liberty as a surprise for her father when she was a puppy. Years later, Liberty had nine puppies of her own.

Sunny joined the Obamas in the White House in 2013.

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The Obama family announced Bo’s death from cancer in May 2021.

“Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion,” President Barack Obama wrote on Twitter. “For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives — happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between.”

Biden leaned down to pet Champ in the Oval Office in February.

Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz

He gave Champ a pet prior to a bipartisan meeting with House and Senate members to discuss supply chains.

On June 19, the Bidens announced Champ had passed away, aged 13.

“He was our constant, cherished companion during the last 13 years and was adored by the entire Biden family,” Biden and first lady Jill wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.