A Plethora of Presidential Pets Quiz

Answer: Dick

Dick was Thomas Jefferson's mockingbird. Jefferson was known to open Dick's cage and allow the bird to fly around the room before landing on a chair. Dick also appeared to like music. He and Jefferson would sometime perform duets; the President on his violin and the bird singing.

Dick's is a chain of sporting goods stores in the United States.

Answer: Polly

Polly the parrot was said to be quite foul-mouthed. Present at President Jackson's funeral, the bird apparently had to be removed after uttering a string of curses. Polly seems to be a popular name for Presidential parrots: James and Dolly Madison had a similarly-named bird.

If there is a stereotypical name for a parrot, Polly probably would be it: as in "Polly want a cracker?"

Answer: Sukey

President Harrison was only President for a month, but that did not stop him from purchasing a cow, Sukey, from a Maryland farmer. Cows were owned by many families to provide fresh milk for families in the days before refrigeration.

Several later Presidents, including William Howard Taft (1909-1913), had cows at the White House. What happened to Sukey after the President's death is not known, but the cow may have stayed with the Harrison family.

Sookie's (different spelling) Stackhouse is the main character from the television series "True Blood".

Answer: The General

The General was a horse belonging to President Tyler. When he died, the horse was buried on the grounds of his plantation, Sherwood Forest. A gravestone Tyler had erected at the site claimed that The General never "blundered", a claim that Tyler never made for himself.

A general may be in charge of an army.

Answer: Jack

Supporters of President Lincoln sent his family a turkey in the fall of 1863 for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Lincoln's youngest son, Tad, named the bird Jack and began bonding with him as a pet. Upon Tad's pleas, Lincoln filled out a form formally pardoning Jack, who joined the several other pets the Lincoln family had.

"You Don't Know Jack" is an expression that refers to not knowing much, if anything, about a subject.

Answer: Old Whiskers

Old Whiskers, also known as Whiskers or His Whiskers, may have been kept by Benjamin Harrison more as entertainment for his grandchildren, who lived at the White House for a while. Old Whiskers would sometimes pull the grandchildren around the grounds of the White House in a cart. President Harrison also enjoyed taking time in the afternoon to play with his grandchildren.

Venerable is a synonym for old.

Answer: Washington Post

President McKinley is said to have taught Washington Post to whistle "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Washington Post was a yellow double-headed Mexican parrot. McKinley also made Washington Post the semi-official greeter of the White House.

"The Washington Post" is a well-known newspaper.

Answer: Dr. Johnson

The Roosevelts owned several guinea pigs including Admiral Dewey, Bob Evans, Bishop Doan, and Father O'Grady. Dr. Johnson was named for the pastor at the Roosevelt family church. In addition, the Roosevelt family owned several other types of pets, including cats, dogs, a badger, a horse, and a squirrel.

If you were sick, you might go to a doctor for a cure.

Answer: Old Ike

During World War One, President Wilson set an example by keeping a small group of sheep on the grounds of the White House. Old Ike was the ram who was part of the group. President Wilson auctioned off the wool from the sheep: once to benefit the Red Cross and once to benefit the Salvation Army. Old Ike was said to be rather unfriendly to those who weren't sheep. He also liked to chew used cigar butts.

Ike was a nickname of Dwight Eisenhower, the Republican President of the United States (1953-1961).

Answer: Pete

Pete the squirrel lived in the White House along with Warren and Florence Harding and their dogs. Pete was tamed enough to eat food from people's hands. Pete is also recorded to have given birth to a litter of young squirrels, so perhaps Pete's name should have been something different.

Petey or Pete the Pup was the dog featured in many of the "Our Gang"/"Little Rascal" movie shorts of the 1930s.

Answer: Old Enoch

Enoch the goose was a gift from the actress Marie Dressler to Calvin and Grace Coolidge. The bird with the family for a period of time before a door left open allowed the goose to fly away. During their years in the White House, the Coolidges had several other pets including birds, cats, and dogs.

Enoch is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as one of the pre-flood patriarchs. He was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah.

Answer: Gabby

Gabby the parakeet lived with Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower from 1954 to 1957. They acquired the bird to be a source of amusement for their grandchildren when they visited. Gabby is buried on the grounds of the White House.

A person or animal who is "gabby" might be said to be talkative. Ironically, Gabby the parakeet was usually silent.

Answer: Robin

Robin the canary was more the pet of First Daughter Caroline Kennedy than her father the President. The canary is buried on the grounds of the White House. The canary is a popular bird as a pet and was first bred for such a role in the 17th century. The average canary lives for 10 to 15 years.


A robin is a type of bird, just as a canary is.

Answer: El Alamein

President Reagan and his wife Nancy acquired a ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountain Range of California in 1974. The ranch, named Sky's Ranch or Heaven's Ranch, was a favorite retreat of the former president and during the 1980s was known as the Western White House. He owned several horses during his lifetime and was an active rider into his late seventies. One of his favorite horses was El Alamein, a grey Anglo Arab that was a gift from the President of Mexico in 1980.

El Alamein, in Egypt, was the location of two battles during World War II.

Answer: Ofelia

Ofelia was a long-horned cow who lived on the Bush family ranch near Crawford, TX. Ofelia and several of her children were named after staff members who worked for George W. Bush when he was Governor of Texas (1995-2000). In addition to Ofelia, the Bush family has had at least one cat and several dogs.

Ophelia (note named is spelled differently) is a character from the Shakespearean play "Hamlet".