Early 1900s Presidential Dogs

Theodore Roosevelt through Herbert Hoover (1901 – 1933)

The first thirty years of the 1900s in America saw some amazing things. Maybe not as amazing as the last thirty years, in comparison, but that’s up for debate. The early 1900s presidential dogs saw the first automobiles roll off the production line, the birth of Disney, Women’s suffrage, the first Trans-Atlantic flight, “talking” movies, the stock market crash, the Great Depression,  the start of NBC and accompanied six American presidents into the White House. Each of these presidents had at least two canine companions. They were all true dog lovers. Warren Harding (1921 – 1923) so much so that he included his Airedale, Laddie Boy, in cabinet meetings and almost all other aspects of his daily life as president.

More interesting facts about Early 1900s Presidential Dogs…

• The award for “Most Dogs” for this time period goes to Calvin Coolidge (1923 – 1929) with 12 dogs. Among his twelve dogs were four Collies and two Chow Chows named Tiny Tim and Blackberry.

• Terriers were very popular with this group of presidents. Woodrow Wilson (1913 – 1921), Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge all had an Airedale Terrier. Teddy Roosevelt had four Terriers of different breeds and Herbert Hoover had two Fox Terriers. Eleven of the 36 early 1900s presidential dogs were terriers, almost a third.
• The Airedale Terrier and the Fox Terrier were tied for the most popular dog breed at three among the presidents during these years.

• The most popular “type” of dog was the Collie. This large dog occupied the White House when both Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover (1929 – 1933) were in office. Coolidge had two White Collies named Rob Roy and Prudence Prim, along with a Rough Collie named Bessie. Hoover had a Scotch Collie named Glen.
• Teddy Roosevelt’s (1901 – 1909) Pekingese, Manchu, was the smallest.

• Calvin Coolidge had a Boston Bulldog named Boston Beans. He also was given several exotic pets as gifts; such as a wallaby, a duiker (an extremely small antelope), a black bear, and Pekin ducks. All of these he gave to a zoo at the First Lady’s asking.   

The early 1900s presidential dogs saw some interesting times in history and were companions to some dynamic presidents. This time period started the beginning of the president’s dogs being of interest to the American people and this would continue throughout the present day. Every president until now has had at least one dog in the White House. With all these dogs in the White House, you’d think they could use a long-lasting, guaranteed and warrantied dog door like a PlexiDor Dog Door. Perhaps the next president will get one. Contact PlexiDor at or call at 888-PET-DOOR to find out about yours.