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Presidential Pets October 20, 2024

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
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 It is said that President Harry S Truman uttered “If you want a friend in Washington DC – Get a dog.” Not sure if that is true but it still gets a laugh.The Museum of the Dog has a timely exhibit called ‘Presidential Dogs’. Most United States presidents have kept pets while in office. Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office (however, Johnson did take care of some mice he found in his bedroom). Outdoorsman Teddy Roosevelt was known for his love of animals had the most pets owned as a president at 48. He owned a few strange pets including a black bear, a badger, a hyena, and even a three-legged rooster. President Abraham Lincoln allowed his sons, Tad and Willie, to keep as many pets as they wished. The result was a menagerie that included rabbits, turkeys, horses, and even two goats. According to legend, John Quincy Adams kept an alligator in the White House for several months. More than 30 hounds were listed in George Washington’s journals, including Sweet Lips, Drunkard, Tipler, and Tipsy. Billy, was a pygmy hippopotamus, given to United States President Calvin Coolidge. Thomas Jefferson owned two grizzly bears. William Howard Taft had two cows. President Calvin Coolidge owned two raccoons, a donkey, a bobcat, lion cubs, a Pygmy hippopotamus, a wallaby, a duiker, an antelope, a black bear, and 13 Peking ducks. John Quincy Adams owned silkworms and an alligator, which some posit may be a myth. However, Benjamin Harrison did own two alligators who lived in the White House conservatory. He also kept two opossums as pets during his presidency. Nothing screams American pride like owning a Bald Eagle, which President James Buchanan had as a pet. Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs, but Congress ultimately forced him to donate them to a zoo. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson owned two grizzly bears. George W. Bush had a longhorn cow. President Woodrow Wilson owned 48 sheep and a ram at one point during his time! While all the previously mentioned presidents had a wide assortment of weird pets, most of them also had dogs, cats, and what most consider to be other “normal” pets.

Fashionable Fidos September 10, 2023

Posted by judylobo in Zoo.
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 I try not to anticipate an exhibit before I go but truth be told…this latest exhibit at the AKC Museum of the Dog was not what I expected. I thought Fashionable Dogs was going to be doggies in outfits – but that was not what it turned out to be. Still enjoyable, but I spruce up this week’s photo montage with some fashionable doggies that have lived at my house. No, my gang were never breeds but they were ‘best in show’ to me. This exhibit highlighted specific breeds that have gone in and out of fashion as the ultimate accessory from nobility to the runway. Through paintings, fashion photography, and accessories this exhibition chronicles the rise and fall of dogs in fashion. Fashionable Dogs tracks the arc of popularity of several breeds through recent history, diving deep into such breeds as the Borzoi, Greyhound, Poodle, Pekingese, Japanese Chin, French Bulldog, and Great Dane. Woof!