First Dogs & the Presidents, A Visual History [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Published: 24 Aug, 2012
Updated: 21 Nov, 2022
1 min read

Presidential pets have been in focus dating back to the first president, with George Washington not only fathering the nation, but also the American foxhound. Now, speculation over "First Dogs" has prompted media attention, with Obama questioned about his preference in breed in his first press conference as President-elect.

The Dog Training Secret posted this infographic, with some fun facts about the Presidents and their first dogs. A few favorite finds include:

  • Theodore Roosevelt's bull terrier, Pete, almost caused an international scandal when he ripped off the French Ambassador's pants during a White House function
  • Harding's dog, Laddie Bog, had his own chair to sit on at cabinet meetings
  • John F. Kennedy had 14 dogs, the most of any president
  • 32 of the 44 presidents had dogs as pets
  • A book about Millie, George H. W. Bush's dog, sold more copies that the autobiography of the president himself

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