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Presidential pets: a tradition
From cats and dogs to farm animals and more, nearly every president has had pets at the White House.
Although he never lived in the White House, former President Washington started the tradition of presidential pets by having at least a dozen dogs in office, in addition to horses and former first lady Martha Washington’s pet parrot.
Claire Jerry, a curator of political history at the National Museum of American History, explained that a pet is a valuable tool for the president, one that can make the commander-in-chief “seem like one of the people.”