28 photos of some of the most adorable dogs to live in the White House

Updated

2021-05-11T13:32:05Z

obama running dog

President Barack Obama and his dog Bo were very close.
Getty
  • Dogs are the most popular pet for a president to have during his time in the White House.
  • The Obamas' dog Bo died from cancer, the family announced on Saturday.
  • The Bidens have two German shepherds, 13-year-old Champ and 3-year-old Major, who is a rescue.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Grover Cleveland's cocker spaniel named Gallagher had a brown coat and ears of "inconvenient length."

Grover Cleveland with his dog Gallagher.
AP

New York Times reporter Gray Gables wrote of Gallagher and Cleveland's other dog Millie, "Both animals take great liberties with Mr. Cleveland when he is accessible to them and when not otherwise employed, are rolling each other about on the lawn."

Herbert Hoover had a Belgian shepherd named King Tut, who would patrol the gates of the White House on a nightly basis.

President Herbert Hoover and first lady Lou Henry Hoover actually had several dogs, but King Tut was the most famous.
AP

He also helped Hoover get elected by appearing in a campaign photo to help the candidate appear more approachable.

Franklin Roosevelt's German shepherd, Major, used to chase the White House maids around.

Franklin D. Roosevelt with pet dog, Major, a German shepherd.
AP

A former police dog, Major caused an international incident in 1933 when he attacked the visiting British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and nearly ripped his pants.

FDR also had a Scottish terrier named Fala that would often accompany the president on his travels.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt lifts his dog Fala as he prepares to motor from his special train to the Yacht Potomac at New London, Connecticut.
AP

Roosevelt received Fala as an early Christmas present in 1940.

Harry Truman gave away his dog, a cocker spaniel named Feller, to a family physician because he was not a dog lover.

Feller arrives at the White House in 1947.
White House photo

Feller was sent to Truman by a supporter.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave John F. Kennedy a dog named Pushinka as a gift.

Pushinka stands her ground on the White House lawn in August 1963, while the rest of the family's dogs vacation with the first family at Cape Cod.
AP

Pushinka's mother was one of the first dogs to fly into and return from space.

Other than Pushinka, JFK had eight dogs, including his German shepherd named Clipper.

Clipper supervises as eight of the nine dogs of President John F. Kennedy's household pose for impromptu press conference at Squaw Island, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in 1963.
AP

The Kennedys also had horses, hamsters, parakeets, a canary, a cat, and a rabbit.

Two of Lyndon B. Johnson's beagles, Him and Her, were frequently on the receiving end of the president pulling their long ears.

President Lyndon B. Johnson holds his dog Her by the ears.
AP

The dogs became national celebrities thanks to a spread in Life magazine in 1964.

One of Lyndon B. Johnson's beagles named Kim was given to his daughter Luci.

Kim sticks his head through a partially-opened window of an automobile in 1966.
AP

Kim was born when Him was bred with another beagle in 1965.

Luci also got another one of his beagles named Freckles.

President Lyndon Johnson poses with Freckles in 1966.
AP

Freckles was from the same litter as Kim.

LBJ found his fifth dog, a terrier mix named Yuki, at a Texas gas station on Thanksgiving in 1966.

President Lyndon Johnson trots after Yuki in 1968.
AP

Yuki accompanied Johnson to Cabinet meetings and the Oval Office.

Richard Nixon's three dogs were an Irish setter named King Timahoe, a poodle named Vicki, and a terrier named Pasha.

The three dogs of the Richard Nixon in Washington in 1972.
AP

Nixon's well-known dog Checkers of "Checkers speech" fame never actually lived in the White House.

Gerald Ford and his daughter Susan had a golden retriever named Liberty.

President Gerald Ford and his daughter, Susan on the South Lawn of the White House in 1974.
AP

Susan got Liberty as a surprise for her father when she was a puppy. Years later, Liberty had nine puppies of her own.

Jimmy Carter had a border collie mix named Grits that was born on the same day Carter was elected president.

President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter play with their dog Grits in 1978.
AP

Grits was a gift from his daughter Amy's teacher.

Ronald Reagan had two White House dogs. The one seen here was a Bouvier des Flandres named Lucky that Nancy Reagan received as a gift in 1984.

President Ronald Reagan is pulled along by his pet dog Lucky in 1985.
AP

Lucky never fully adjusted to life in the White House, so the Reagans sent her back to their California ranch in 1985.

George H.W. Bush had two springer spaniels, Millie and Ranger.

President George Bush gets down on his knees to show off his dogs, Millie and Ranger, in 1991.
AP

Millie was the star of the book "Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush" in 1992.

George W. Bush and his first dog in the White House, an English springer spaniel named Spot, was one of Millie's puppies.

President George W. Bush waves as he walks toward the Oval Office with his dog Spot in 2002.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Spot was known as a friendly, obedient dog that would accompany Bush to meetings.

Bush also had two Scottish terriers named Barney and Miss Beazley, who were separated in age by four years.

President George W. Bush waves as he arrives on the South Lawn of the White House with his dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, in 2006.
Evan Sisley-Pool/Getty Images

Barney died in of lymphoma in 2013.

The Obamas had two famous Portuguese water dogs named Bo and Sunny.

The Obamas with Bo and Sunny in the Rose Garden of the White House in 2015.
AP

Bo was a gift for Sasha and Malia Obama after their father won the presidency.

The Obama family announced Bo's death from cancer on Saturday.

President Barack Obama runs down the East Colonnade with Bo in 2009.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

"Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion," President Barack Obama wrote on Twitter. "For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives — happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between."

The Bidens adopted Major in November 2018, and he joined Champ as the family's second German shepherd.

President Joe Biden plays with the Biden family dogs Champ and Major in 2021.
Courtesy Photo by Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro

Major was the last rank Biden's son Beau held in the US Army JAG Corps before he died from a brain tumor in 2015.

President Joe Biden's dog Major is the first shelter dog to live in the White House.

Joe Biden with Major.
Delaware Humane Society/Facebook

Major has had some trouble adjusting to life in the White House, biting a Secret Service member and a National Park Service employee in two separate incidents.

Loading Something is loading.

We are so sorry! We bumped into a system failure and couldn't take your email this time.

More: Features Dogs Presidents White House

Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

For you