Dicky and the Grizzlies
President: Thomas Jefferson
Years in Office: March 4, 1801-March 4, 1809

Thomas Jefferson had many pets, including a whistling mockingbird named Dicky who hopped behind him on the White House steps and could mimic sounds like a dog barking. Jefferson loved to show people how Dicky could eat fruit from the president’s mouth.

Jefferson also was the recipient of a rather large and generous crate from the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Inside it were two grizzly bear cubs. President Jefferson took the cubs for walks around the garden. The animal-loving president also built the cubs a cage on the South Lawn where they could be displayed and admired by the public. Later, when the bears grew too big, they were donated to Charles Wilson Peale’s museum in Baltimore. In a letter to Peale, Jefferson wrote:

“I put them together while here in a place of 10 f. square. For the first day they worried one another very much with play: but after that they played at times but were extremely happy together. When separated & put into their small cage again, one because almost furious. I do not think they have any idea of hurting any one.”

Laddie Boy
President: Warren G. Harding
Years in Office: March 4, 1921-August 2, 1923

Harding’s Airedale terrier, Laddie Boy, was a White House celebrity. As First Dog, he had his own hand-carved chair so he could attend cabinet meetings. He delivered the newspaper to the president each day. He conducted correspondence with other dogs and individuals, and his mock interviews were published in the newspapers.

Laddie Boy’s birthday was celebrated annually, with a cake made of dog biscuits and a party, to which other dogs were invited. A copper statue of Laddie Boy, made of 19,134 re-melted pennies collected by newsboys, resides at the Smithsonian Institute.

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