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White House pets: Cats, dogs and raccoons through the years

It hasn't always been dogs and cats in the White House - here are a few photos going back decades of first families with their pets.

News imageGetty Images President Warren G Harding and First Lady Florence Harding stand on a balcony with their dogGetty Images
President Warren G Harding and First Lady Florence Harding stand alongside their dog, called Laddie Boy, as they watch the annual Easter Monday children's egg-rolling on the White House lawn in 1922.
News imageGetty Images Laddie Boy the dog eats a large birthday cake next to a staircaseGetty Images
Laddie Boy enjoys a birthday cake at the White House in 1921.
News imageNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress First Lady Grace Coolidge holds a raccoon on a leashNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress
First Lady Grace Coolidge, wife of President Calvin Coolidge, holds their pet raccoon Rebecca. It was given to the Coolidge family in 1926 by a supporter who suggested she be served up for a Thanksgiving dinner. However, the family fell in love and adopted her as a pet instead.
News imageNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress First Lady Grace Coolidge walks her pet raccoon on a leash with spectators looking onNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress
First Lady Grace Coolidge and Rebecca the raccoon make an appearance at the annual White House egg-rolling event on 18 April 1927. President Coolidge gave Rebecca an embroidered collar with the title "White House Raccoon". After the family left the White House, Rebecca was sent to a zoo to live with other raccoons.
News imageGetty Images President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge stand in front of the White House with a dog in front of them that is yawningGetty Images
President Coolidge and the first lady also had a pet dog, seen here outside the White House in 1927.
News imageNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress A policeman holds a wild opossum by the scruff of the neckNational Photo Collection/Library of Congress
President Hoover introduced another unusual pet to the White House; a wild opossum named Billy Possum. The animal was captured by White House policeman BB Snodgrass (seen above) and placed in a pen that was originally built for Rebecca.
News imageGetty Images Two dogs pose outside the White HouseGetty Images
The Kennedy family dogs Charlie and Pushinka pose for photographers in 1961.
News imageGetty Images President Kennedy plays with his dog in snowy landscapeGetty Images
President John F Kennedy plays with his dog Charlie in Virginia in 1962.
News imageJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum/NARA President Kennedy is seen with his daughter Caroline, son John and pet pony MacaroniJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum/NARA
Mr Kennedy's daughter Caroline was given a pony, named Macaroni, by Lyndon B Johnson. The president, Caroline and Macaroni are seen above with John Kennedy Jr outside the Oval Office in 1962.
News imageGetty Images President Lyndon Johnson holds a beagle dog whilst speaking to a group of journalistsGetty Images
President Lyndon Johnson holds one of his beagles, named Him, as he speaks with members of the White House press corps in 1964.
News imageGetty Images President Johnson walks his dogs whilst surrounded by journalistsGetty Images
President Johnson walks his dogs Him (front left) and Blanco (front right) alongside journalists in the White House grounds in 1965.
News imageGetty Images President Johnson tries to sign a bill on his desk whilst with his pet dog Yuki sits on his lapGetty Images
President Johnson attempts to sign a bill with his pet dog Yuki on his lap in 1967. Mr Johnson's daughter, Luci, found Yuki at a petrol station in his home state of Texas on Thanksgiving Day in 1966.
News imageGetty Images President Gerald R Ford plays with a dog in the family residence of the White HouseGetty Images
President Gerald R Ford plays with his new pet golden retriever, named Liberty, in the White House Executive Residence in 1975.
News imageGetty Images President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher walk a dog togetherGetty Images
President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher walk Reagan's dog Lucky on the White House lawn in 1985.
News imageGetty Images Barbara Bush and her granddaughter look at a dog who is feeding a littler of puppiesGetty Images
First Lady Barbara Bush and her granddaughter, Marshall Lloyd Bush, look at the Bush's pet dog Millie and her litter of puppies in 1989.
News imageGetty Images President Clinton stands with his pet cat socks on his shouldersGetty Images
President Bill Clinton takes a walk with Socks the pet cat in 1993.
News imageGetty Images Split image showing the Clinton family with Buddy the dogGetty Images
(left) President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Clinton and their daughter Chelsea Clinton walk their dog Buddy on the White House South Law in 1998. (right) Buddy greets Mr Clinton in 1999.
News imageGetty Images President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk their dog Bo outside the White HouseGetty Images
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk their dog Bo to a picnic for members of Congress on the South Lawn of the White House in 2010.
News imageGetty Images A dog stands next to Air Force OneGetty Images
Bo the dog waits to board Air Force One in Massachusetts in 2009.
News imageEPA The first dog Major runs across the White House lawnEPA
The first dog Major arrives at the White House, alongside fellow German Shepherd Champ, as President Biden begins his new administration in January 2021