White House Dogs: 15 Presidents and Their Pooches in Photos

President Johnson and his dog, Yuki, at Christmas. Photo from the LBJ Presidential Library.

Some presidents bring more than just their policies to the Oval Office. Over the years, several White House dogs have called the President’s Palace their home.

Thanks to both the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act and the technological advancements of the early 20th century, every president since Herbert Hoover has a digital database of content from their presidency. Lucky for us, that means plenty of photos of presidential pups.

Herbert Hoover

From left to right: Hoover with King Tut, 1928. Hoover with Weegie, 1936. Photos from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.

Herbert Hoover had several dogs, two of the most famous being King Tut, a Belgian Malinois, and Weegie, a Norwegian Elkhound. Other White House dogs during Hoover’s presidency include Pat (German Shepherd and former German police dog), Marks (English Setter), Patrick (English Wolfhound), and Inglehurst Gillette (Gordon Setter). Hoover even had a dog master named Harry Waters, pictured below with some of the dogs.

Hoover’s dog master Harry Waters with Pat, Marks, Patrick, and Inglehurst Gillette. Photo from the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR sits with Fala in the White House Oval Study, 1941. Photo from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

FDR also had a number of dogs during his presidency, two of the most notable being Scottish Terriers Fala and Meggie. In the photo above, Fala keeps FDR company just 13 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other Roosevelt dogs include: Winks (Llewellyn Setter), Tiny (Old English Sheepdog), President (Great Dane), and Blaze (Bullmastiff).

FDR also had a German Shepherd named Major. However, the Roosevelt’s exiled him to their home in Hyde Park due to several biting incidents. Ironically, Joe Biden’s German Shepherd of the same name was sent home to Delaware for the same reason.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Eisenhower and his dog Heidi walk along the White House fence as Eisenhower returns from a press conference, 1959. Photo from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Dwight Eisenhower had one dog: a Weimaraner named Heidi. She can be seen walking alongside the White House fence with Eisenhower in the photo above.

John F. Kennedy

From left to right: Charlie and Pushinka, 1961. Photo taken by Robert Knudsen courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

JFK and Jackie Kennedy had quite the farm on their hands. In addition to the 11 dogs that spent time at the White House during the Kennedy presidency, the family also had a cat, a rabbit, a horse, a canary, two parakeets, two hamsters, three ponies, and several ducks.

Of those 11 dogs, two of the more well-known are a Welsh Terrier named Charlie and a mutt named Pushinka (pictured above). Pushinka, however, was no ordinary mutt. Incredibly, Pushinka and her mother, Strelka, were the first living creatures to travel to space and back. According to Caroline Kennedy, her mother was sitting next to former USSR president Nikita Krushchev at a state dinner in Vienna and struck up conversation about the space dogs. The rest was history.

Pushinka and her four “pupniks,” 1963. Photo by Bettmann / Contributor via Getty.

Four of the Kennedy dogs were offspring of Charlie and Pushinka, whom JFK playfully dubbed “pupniks,” and were eventually given away. Pushinka and her pups can be seen above.

Lyndon B. Johnson

President Johnson performing a “duet” with Yuki. Photo courtesy of the American Kennel Club.

If you didn’t think you could relate to Lyndon Johnson, think again. Johnson was kind of obsessed with dogs. How obsessed, you may ask? After his presidency, he recorded a spoken word album titled “Dogs Have Always Been My Friends.” Johnson and his wife “Lady Bird” Johnson had four Beagles, a Collie, and one mutt named Yuki, who was undoubtedly the president’s favorite. Johnson would sing “duets” with Yuki in the Oval Office. The photo above captures Johnson and Yuki during one of those duets.

Richard Nixon

From left to right: Nixon’s dogs, Pasha, Vicki, and King Timahoe. Photo from the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.

During his time as president and vice president, Nixon had four dogs: Vicky (Poodle), Pasha (Yorkshire Terrier), King Timahoe (Irish Setter), and Checkers (Cocker Spaniel). Vicky, Pasha, and King Timahoe are pictured above.

Gerald Ford

President Ford, First Lady Betty Ford, and daughter Susan Ford with their dog, Liberty, and her puppies, 1975. Photo from the Gerald Ford Presidential Library.

Ford’s presidency saw three dogs: a Golden Retriever named Liberty, a mutt named Lucky, and one of Liberty’s pups, Misty, who was born in the White House. The photo above shows Ford, the First Lady, and their daughter Susan with Liberty after the birth of her puppies.

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, pets new dog Grits, 1977. Photo from Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Photographs collection.

Jimmy Carter had two dogs, a Border Collie named Grits and an Afghan Hound named Lewis Brown. Grits, however, lacked in the behavior department. Thus, his stint at the White House was short-lived. In addition to being poorly trained, Grits apparently didn’t get along with Amy Carter’s cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Grits and Amy are pictured above.

Ronald Reagan

Lucky sits on Reagan’s lap on a ride to Camp David. Photo from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Reagan’s presidency is another one that brought a slew of animals. In addition to their several horses, the Reagans had six dogs in their time in the White House. One of the more well-known Reagan dogs is Lucky, a Bouvier de Flandres, who would accompany the president to Camp David (pictured above).

George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush walks on the White House Lawn with Millie and her puppies. Photo from the White House Archives.

Georgie H.W. Bush had a Springer Spaniel named Millie and one of her puppies. Millie, her pups, and H.W. Bush walk on the White House lawn in the photo above.

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton and Buddy, 1999. Photo from the Bill Clinton Presidential Library.

Bill Clinton had a Chocolate Lab named Buddy — it really doesn’t get more quintessentially American than that. Bill and Buddy pose on the White House lawn in the photo above.

George W. Bush

Left: Bush’s dog Spot stands on the White House Lawn, 2001. Photo from the George Bush Presidential Library. Right: Bush’s dogs Barney and Miss Beazley walk on the White House lawn, 2006. Photo by MANDEL NGAN / Staff via Getty.

The Bush family had three dogs: two Scottish Terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley and an English Springer Spaniel named Spot “Spotty” Fetcher, whose namesake is former Texas Ranger baseball player Scott Fletcher.

Barack Obama

Barack and Michelle Obama wait with Bo and Sunny in the White House Blue Room, 2013. Photo by White House photographer Pete Souza from the Barack Obama Presidential Library.

During the Obama presidency, Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny took center stage at a lot of White House events. And how could you blame them? They’re adorable. Bo unfortunately passed away in 2021, but his legacy lives on.

Joe Biden

The Bidens sit with Commander, 2021. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty.

During his presidency and vice presidency, Joe Biden has had three German Shepherds in the White House. One was Champ, who sadly passed in 2021. Another was Major, who, like FDR’s German Shepherd Major, had to be sent back home for bad behavior. The remaining German Shepherd is Commander, who was a gift from President Biden’s brother. Commander and the Bidens are pictured above.

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