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Olive Celebrates Presidents’ Day with Presidential Pets

dog

We’re coming up on the last of the three major special days celebrated in February. We already passed Groundhog Day (as an HVAC dog I’m a bit wary about other mammals claiming they can predict the weather; I say “Be ready for anything!”). This week is Valentine’s Day. Next up is Presidents’ Day, which is a combined celebration of the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. You can read a short history of this holiday, but what I’m really interested in talking about today is Presidential Pets.

Although not every head of our Executive Branch has kept a furry friend in the White House, there have been many animal pals to have taken residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Pets of the Prez: A Short List

Here’s a few of the pets of the past Presidents of the United States of America:

  • George Washington: George never lived at the White House (because it wasn’t built yet!), and it’s probably a good thing because there is no way he could’ve fit his 36 hounds there! He also had a parrot and some horses.
  • Abraham Lincoln: The other president of Presidents’ Day had a full menagerie of multiple cats, dogs, a white rabbit, and goats named Nanny and Nanko.
  • Thomas Jefferson: Lewis and Clark gave Jefferson the present of two bear cubs. He also had a mockingbird.
  • Ulysses S. Grant: The former general had a Newfoundland named Faithful.
  • Theodore Roosevelt: It’s no surprise to me that the man who gave his name to the Teddy Bear had a full zoo going on! No kidding, I could’ve made a whole post on T.R.’s pets. Let’s see… a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Sailor Boy. A Pekingese named Manchu. A mutt named Skip. Two terriers named Jack and Pete. Cats named Tom Quartz and Slippers. A badger named Josiah. A pony named Algonquin. A macaw named Eli. A garter snake named Emily Spinach. (I swear I’m not making this up!) A piebald rat named Jonathan. (No, this is real! I’m not inventing this!) And there’s a whole assortment of horses, bears, guinea pigs, two kangaroo rats, lizards, an owl, a coyote, a lion, and—again, no kidding—a flying squirrel. Oh, and a zebra.
  • Calvin Coolidge: Silent Cal had a terrier named Peter Pan. That’s pretty cute.
  • Franklin D Roosevelt: The other Roosevelt had quite a few dogs, including a Great Dane named… President. I guess that wins the prize for the “Most Presidential Presidential Pet” by default.
  • Millard Fillmore: In keeping with the tradition of a president that nobody seems to remember or know anything about, Millard Fillmore did not have any pets.

Everyone here at MK Russell & Abbot wants to see that you (and any pets or flying squirrels or piebald rats you may have) celebrate Presidents’ Day in comfort with a great heating system in Loudon, TN! No matter what heating service you need, you can count on us for excellent service.

Stay warm,

Olive

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