It’s always fun to hear news about pets of our presidents – it’s a bit of “aww” right in the middle of all the hard-hitting news. In honor of President’s Day, how about some Presidential Pets trivia? Use the online Presidential Pet Museum to find great information on our “First Pets” (answers below).
1. Which three presidents never had a pet in the White House?
2. Which president was the first to pardon a turkey (which later became a family pet, Jack) for Thanksgiving dinner?
3. From 1953 to the present, which president had the most pets in the White House?
4. Which president owned the last cow as a pet?
One of the most beloved presidential pets, however, was Macaroni, Caroline Kennedy’s pony. Macaroni was a gift from Lyndon B. Johnson, and the pony even received her own fan mail for years! In 2007, Neil Diamond revealed that a photo of Caroline on that pony inspired his famous song “Sweet Caroline”!
Curious about how many First Pets there have been? Only 10 of our 44 presidents have not had at least one dog. There have only been 11 cats in residence at the White House, and there haven’t been any birds in the Oval Office since Lyndon B. Johnson.
For more information about Presidential Pets, check out Pets at the White house: 50 Years of Presidents and Their Pets, or First Dogs: American Presidents & Their Best Friends.
“Purr”residential Pet Trivia Answers: (1) James K. Polk, Franklin Pierce, and Chester A. Arthur (2) Abraham Lincoln (3) John F. Kennedy had at least 23 pets in his three years in office! (4) William Taft
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