Welcome, Willow! From Socks to Macroni, the pets who lived at the White House

FP Staff • January 31, 2022, 13:16:34 IST

Joe Biden recently added Willow, a green-eyed tabby from Pennsylvania to the White House family, the first feline tenant since President George W Bush’s controversially named India. Here’s a look at the other presidential pets in America

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden added two-year-old Willow, a green-eyed tabby from Pennsylvania to the White House over the weekend. She has been named after the First Lady’s hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. It is reported that the short-haired tabby made quite an impression on Jill Biden after she jumped up on stage and interrupted her remarks during a 2020 campaign stop in Pennsylvania. AP

Willow joins joins Commander, a recently acquired German shepherd puppy who follows two other German shepherds, Champ and Major. Champ died in June at age 13, while Major, a three-year-old rescue, was sent off to a quieter life after behaving aggressively. AFP

There have been oh-so-many dogs in the White House. The Obamas’ Bo, a male Portuguese water dog, joined the family at the White House in April 2009. Sunny, a female of the same breed, came along in August 2013. AFP

While dogs have been more frequent residents, there have been plenty of cat people in the White House: The Clintons had Socks in the White House. Clintons also had a dog called Buddy while they were in the White House. AP

Over the course of his two terms as president, George W Bush found steadfast companions in his dogs, Miss Beazley and Barney. He and Laura also had a cat named India during their time in the Oval Office. AP

President Richard Nixon had a trio of dogs during his administration: Irish Setter King Timahoe, Yorkshire Terrier Pasha, and French Poodle Vicky. Checkers (pictured), perhaps President Nixon’s best-known dog, never actually lived in the White House; the Cocker Spaniel died before Nixon was elected. However, he was around during Nixon’s vice presidency under President Dwight Eisenhower. AP

John F Kennedy’s family had a veritable menagerie at the White House with birds, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and dogs of all ages. But perhaps the most quintessential Kennedy pet was Caroline’s pony, Macaroni. AP