Bo's Predecessors: Presidential Pets In History (SLIDESHOW)

Four-legged friends are a time-honored White House tradition. President Taft had a cow. FDR had his terrier Fala. The Kennedys gave young Caroline a pony she named Macaroni. Lyndon Johnson had dogs named His and Her. Nixon had Checkers, the Fords had Liberty, the Clintons had Buddy the lab and Socks the cat, and the Bushes had Barney and Miss Beazley. Now the Obamas have Bo.

Here's a look back at at the most recent presidential pets:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • President Taft's pet cow Pauline outside the State, War and Navy Building

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Comments

[Kaves]

01:57 PM on 04/23/2009

Hahaha I love that picture of Socks as the podium. The one of him being assaulted by the press is now my background havent seen that before.. Haha how spoiled were the Kennedy girls that they actually GOT a pony? Cool that they let her just run around..

haha Barry's new dog looks insane.

[Lachlan Prescott]

08:14 AM on 04/19/2009

I'd like to see more WH cats in future

[SuesW]

12:48 AM on 04/19/2009

Those were cute. I do like the cat ... esp the photo of it being mobbed by photogs. lol

[kathleen15]

12:21 AM on 04/19/2009

Guys i be that Nixon's dog was a ceook just like his owner.

[eden4barack08]

09:58 PM on 04/18/2009

"Then walks the President" LOL....best caption ever from HuffPo. Great pic of Obama led by his puppy.

Clinton's cat Socks at the press podium is the most fantastic pic so far, but I have a feeling rambunctious Bo promises some wild ones yet.

[SmallChange]

06:56 PM on 04/18/2009

It looks like we'll be seeing Cesar Milan at the WH soon. Bo seems like a typical energitic pup!

[Lachlan Prescott]

08:11 AM on 04/19/2009

yeah

[lynnn]

06:53 PM on 04/18/2009

Barney had nothing on Fala. Fala, just looked really loving.

[Bec01]

08:24 AM on 04/18/2009

Oh I think the Obama''s have a feisty little guy on their hands. I hope they are taking training classes to learn how to handle him. Maybe The dog Whisperer needs to pay them a visit....LOL

[roshni]

01:38 PM on 04/18/2009

Looks like Bo is taking our Prez for a walk! He looks happy, though.

[lynnn]

06:53 PM on 04/18/2009

I think the dog is the only one who can lead the president.

[naschkatze]

05:31 AM on 04/18/2009

I can't get over how much alike Nixon and Checkers looked. My fav: the cat.

[btrim]

11:18 PM on 04/17/2009

Best pic I've ever seen of Nixon. The guy comes across as a decent human being. (What a sham.)

The pic of FDR's dog at his funeral is a tearjerker.

[ChelseaC]

02:31 AM on 04/18/2009

Most of all,I like the Kennedy pics.

[naschkatze]

05:32 AM on 04/18/2009

THE ChelseaC?

[SmallChange]

07:07 PM on 04/18/2009

Yes Checkers was a beautiful dog but his owner was always a charlatan, even Ike thought so.

[MsIrisMG]

09:47 PM on 04/17/2009

LOL at the guy on the ground photographing Socks, and he's not even regarding him. Weird photographers! It reminds me of an "Aggie" joke: how many does it take to photograph one cat?! The one of Socks at the podium is adorable. They didn't have a photo of Amy Carter's Siamese cat, Misty Malarkey.

[SmallChange]

07:10 PM on 04/18/2009

I thought the same thing when I saw that picture of Socks. Is it voyeurism with photographers or is it envy, sheesh. But Socks as the Cat in Chief at the podium is a stitch!

[MsIrisMG]

02:18 AM on 04/19/2009

It's a shame Malia is allergic. Little girls really should have a cat or kitten, like Amy and Chelsea...and me!

[gtchilla]

09:03 PM on 04/17/2009

ISN'T BARRACK OBAMAS PUPPY ,BO ,SSSSOOO CUTE!!??

[eden4barack08]

09:48 PM on 04/18/2009

Immensely so! I can't get over it!

[LMKay66]

07:16 PM on 04/17/2009

Didn't you just love Bush's bitin' pooch, Barney?

[LeftLeanWing]

07:55 PM on 04/17/2009

Poor dog probably acquired Irritable Bowel Syndrome from being around that Idiot.

[roshni]

01:39 PM on 04/18/2009

Yup, or some other stress-related doggie psychosis.

[indyleftist]

07:12 PM on 04/17/2009

Truman wouldn't take the puppy LOL

[Bitsko]

05:13 PM on 04/17/2009

I don' know what it is, but the photo of Fala being walked to President Roosevelt's funeral has always struck me as incredibly sad.

[roshni]

01:39 PM on 04/18/2009

It made me sad too.

[lynnn]

06:56 PM on 04/18/2009

Same here. Fala, was big at the time, lots of people named their dogs Fala. Of course we are probably more familiar with Lincoln's dog FIDO. Yeah, that dog's name really got stuck in the American mind.