This Former U.S. President Had The Most Pets

The United States likes pets. 70% of American households owned one or more in 2020, said Statista.com, with the amount of people yearning for furry, feathered, and scaled friends increasing 14% since 1988.The dog-lovers predominate with 63 million homes opting for human's best friend as their faithful companion.

It's not just the masses that like animals. 33 out of 45 presidents enjoyed their creatures — big and small — and brought them to the White House during their terms. Just like everyone else, the favorite kind has been dogs. In fact, President Donald Trump was the first commander-in-chief not enamored with canines in 115 years; the last dog-less president before that was William McKinley (from Potus.com). However, McKinley did keep a parrot, roosters, and kittens in the White House, according to France in the United States, while Trump is the first American leader in 130 years to not embrace pet-ownership at all. President James K. Polk was the only other without an animal.

Some of the pets kept are quite unusual. Several presidents (including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan) moved to Washington with their horses. Presidents John Quincy Adams and Herbert Hoover brought alligators. Goats were honored by both Harrison presidents, William Henry and Benjamin. President Calvin Coolidge gets the zookeeper award for hosting bobcats, hippopotamuses, lions, raccoons, wallabies, and duikers—a type of sub-Saharan African antelope. Who had the most pets? Interestingly, the same president as is in the top 10 for having the most children ... (via Potus).

If you said President Theodore Roosevelt, who spent 1901 to 1909 in the office, as the White House occupant with the most pets, you are correct. Just look at this list: 11 horses, six dogs, five guinea pigs, two cats, one pig, one badger, one macaw, one bear, one hen, one rabbit, one lizard, one snake, one rat, some flying squirrels, one rooster, one hyena, one barn owl, and two kangaroo rats. It's amazing he got any governance accomplished between the feeding and caring of the animals (from CNN). 

Roosevelt enjoyed the pets as much as his six children, said the National Park System and their animals often caused trouble. Two of Roosevelt's children, Kermit and Quentin, gave their pony, Algonquin, an elevator ride to visit their brother, Archie, who had the measles. But the pony liked seeing himself in the lift's mirror so much that the boys had trouble leading him out. Quentin also interrupted a meeting once after getting some snakes from a pet store, according to National Geographic Kids. But disrupting the conversation was just the beginning — he also managed to drop the snakes on his father's desk.

President Joe Biden also likes pets and brought his two German Shepherds, Major and Champ (since deceased), with him when he moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So far, his animals have had some adventures, too. Major got sent to the doghouse after several biting incidents, but after some training returned to the residence (via USA Today).