There’s a saying, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

Well, many of our best President’s (and some of the others) did just that.

Let’s take a look at a few through our American history.

Dogs and Presidents have walked leash in hand together since the very beginning. In fact, Founding Father George Washington was a well respected dog enthusiast and breeder. According to one of his grandsons, he was particularly fond of hounds and may have owned the very first Basset Hound in this new nation. He would also personally go out to inspect his kennels every morning and night.

Third President Thomas Jefferson was known for breeding Briards. The sixteenth Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Lincoln also had quite the history with pups. There are even a few books about his dogs, including “Abe & Fido,” about his legendary dog, Fido. 

The canine connection our 34th president is probably most know for is his quote, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.” However, Dwight Eisenhower was also a lover of the real dogs and from his time in the service to his time in the White House he had several, notably a Weimaraner often spotted staring out from White House grounds. 

His successor had an array of pets, including a beautiful German Shepherd seen here with First Lady Jackie Kennedy. 

When Lyndon Johnson assumed the office, he got into a bit of trouble for lifting a dog up by its ears. Despite the supposedly rough handling, he seemed to enjoy his dogs.

Over the years and we’ve had Presidential pooches getting all kinds of attention, from FDR’s Fala, honored with a spot next to him at the FDR Memorial on the National Mall, to Nixon’s “Checkers Speech,” to George H.W. Bush’s final service dog, Sully,  lying beside his coffin as the former President lay in State, to the last pair of Joe Biden’s problem pups- German Shepherds which had a tendency to bite Secret Service agents. 

In the pictures from top L: FDR Memorial with Fala, FDR with a German Shepherd, Nixons walking dogs (Checkers not shown), Grace (Calvin) Coolidge with two dogs, Teddy Roosevelt with setter, TR with St. Bernard, Ronald Reagan with Lucky, George W. Bush and Barney, Bill Clinton and Buddy, George HW Bush with Millie and pups, Sully service dog at GHW Bush’s casket, Joe Biden with Champ and Major.

Do you know of more Presidential pups? Who is your favorite?

The current occupant of the Oval Office has no known dog and has expressed an aversion to them. He was gifted a Goldendoodle when he took office in 2016, but rumor has it the dog was sent off to be made into a toupee. That has not been independently confirmed.