Pets at the White House: 50 Years of Presidents and Their Pets

Pets at the White House provides a spectacular view into one of the most historic homes in the world and all of its four-legged, beaked, and pawed inhabitants from ponies, puppies, and cats to parakeets, sheep, and even an alligator. Interest in presidential pets has risen with the importance, power, and prestige of the American presidency. The American public has an insatiable appetite for stories of everyday life in the White House. This book brings it all to life. With charm, wit, and compelling photographs, author Jennifer Pickens reveals how pets have played an important role in the White House throughout the decades, not only by providing companionship to the presidents and their families, but also by humanizing and softening their political images. The book starts with the Kennedy family and their menagerie of pets and continues through 10 administrations and more than half of a century to the Obama family and First Dog Bo. Throughout the pages are more than 200 exquisite photographs of presidents with their pets in quiet moments as well as more animated times of play, most of which have never been seen before. With a foreword by former First Lady Barbara Bush, this book has earned the devotion of the recent United States First Families, many of whom penned a unique quote for their chapters. This poignant collection of stories and photographs is a must-have for pet lovers and lovers of American history alike.