With their every action under the scrutiny of the public eye, presidents and their families often find it hard to lead a normal life.  First family members often try reintroduce normality to their lives by bringing pets into the White House.

Of our past forty-four presidents, only two did not own pets: Chester Arthur and Franklin Pierce. Millard Fillmore, who owned two ponies, was very active in animal protection causes in New York. President Truman is famously known for saying “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”

Thirty-two of the of the forty-four presidents have welcomed man’s best friend into the White House during their presidency, whereas only thirteen presidents had cats. Thomas Jefferson was thought to have a cat, but in actuality he owned a bird which mimicked loud meows.  Martin Van Buren also owned two cats, though of a larger species; he was later pressured by Congress to donate his two tiger cubs (which had been a present from the Sultan of Ottoman) to a local zoo. Theodore Roosevelt owned a whopping thirty-two pets, including a badger, a lion, a hyena, five bears, a zebra, and a raccoon. Kennedy comes in close second with twenty-one pets.

Our newest president, Donald Trump, does not yet own any pets, however it is rumored that he is looking to adopt a puppy.