We are now only a couple days away from the exciting American privilege of electing our new president, so for those of you who are still undecided, here is some information on presidents and their pets, in the hopes that it will maybe give you some non-negative campaign information and make your voting more pleasurable.
Most of our past presidents have had pets. Some, in fact have had some exotic pets. Jefferson had two lion cubs. John Quincy Adams had silkworms and an alligator as pets. Van Buren briefly had two tiger cubs for pets. Andrew Johnson had white mice that he apparently admired. Harrison had two opossums named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection. Other less common White House pets have included hamsters, lovebirds, ponies, rabbits, raccoons, a bobcat, a wallaby, a pygmy hippo, sheep, cattle, a garter snake, and yes even a piebald rat. Most of us have suspected rats in the White House at some point, and now we know for sure.
We also have experienced some pretty unusual pet names. Here are just a few: Buzzy, Cleopatra, Sweet Lips, Tipler and Tipsy, Nanko, Butcher Boy, Veto, Fidelity, Maude, Caruso, Calamity Jane, Boston Beans, Macaroni, Pushinka, Zou Zou, and of course Misty Malarkey Ying Yang, who was Amy Carter’s Siamese cat. Along with those we also had some rather enduring names such as Spot, Barney, Buddy, Lucky, Rex, Tom, Heidi, Mike, Major, Blaye, Smoky, Teddie, Pete, Duke, and yes even Whiskers. All of these I currently have in the practice and none of their owners are president, past or present, but hope springs eternal!
Some presidents REALLY loved pets. John F. Kennedy had twenty pets to account for, including dogs, cats, canaries, parakeets, ponies, hamsters, a rabbit and a horse. Teddy Roosevelt also had twenty odd pets including a one legged rooster, a macaw, the aforementioned rat, a badger and a garter snake. Calvin Coolidge had fifteen pets including a goose, the wallaby, an antelope, a bobcat, a pygmy hippo, and two lion cubs. Old Calvin may be the champion for the wilder side of the pet world.
Only Chester A. Arthur is listed as having no pets at all. What is up with that? Is it too late to impeach the fool?
FDR once took a trip to the Aleutian Islands, where he accidently left Fala, his Scottish terrier. FDR immediately ordered a Navy ship to turn around to retrieve Fala. The Republicans howled at the cost to the taxpayers. At a speech to the Teamsters union FDR stated: “I don’t resent attacks, and my family doesn’t resent attacks, but Fala does resent them, his Scotch soul was furious.” Supposedly this speech helped FDR win his fourth term as president. LBJ had the opposite experience. During a photo session in 1964, he picked up one of his beagles, named Him, by the ears. Animal lovers around the country were outraged by this.
So what is the future of FIRST PETS for this election? We are happy to report that no matter who wins, there will be a First Pet(s) in the White House, so the tradition will continue.
When Senator Obama talked to his family about running for President, his two girls agreed only after exacting the promise that at the end of the election, win or lose, they got a puppy, and supposedly are looking already at a golden-doodle. John McCain already owns 3 dogs, a cat, a parakeet, and saltwater fish.
Lola and Midge have been discussing their selection with me, and for them it boils down to this: if you want to place a new puppy in the White House and want to make two little girls extremely happy, go for Senator Obama. If you like the idea of a variety of pets in the White House, Senator McCain will probably be your man. Either way, enjoy exercising your right to vote on Tuesday, November 4th (or before, as an early voter) and continue the great tradition of AMERICA’S FIRST PETS!!!
To make an appointment for your pet today, give use a call at: (515) 727-5757, or email us at: dreberle@eberlenanimalhospital.com.
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