White House Pets

A surprising issue that has arisen in the American political arena is not foreign policy, but rather which breed of dog the Obama's chose to join their family in the White House. Barack Obama has announced that his family narrowed their breed choices to a Labradoodle, a mix between a Labrador retriever and a Poodle, and a Portuguese water dog. Both breeds are large, with curly hair and a mild amount of shedding.

Obama stated in interviews that a limiting factor was his daughter Malia's allergies. They decided on a six month old Portuguese water dog they named Bo. The dog is a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who owns several Portuguese water dogs.

There has been a long history of pets in the White House. Most Presidential pooches have been pure-breed dogs, including "Buddy" Clinton, a chocolate Labrador retriever and "Barney" and "Miss Beazley" Bush, both Scottish terriers. Bush Sr. had a Springer Spaniel named "Millie" that gave birth to puppies while at the White House. Ford's Golden Retriever "Liberty" also had a litter of puppies. Reagan owned a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named "Rex" and a Bouvier des Flandres named "Lucky". James Garfield named his dog "Veto".

There have been some mix-breed dogs in the White House though: Abraham Lincoln's dog "Fido" and Lyndon B. Johnson's dog "Yuki" were both strays that found a home in the most prominent house in the world. Cats have also lived at the White House, most notably "Socks" Clinton. Eleven presidents have brought their cats to the White House, including Lincoln, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy, Ford, Carter, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Although the standard White House pets are dogs and cats, a few presidents have enjoyed the company of more rare animals. John Quincy Adams owned an alligator and silkworms. Martin Van Buren briefly owned two tiger cubs. Calvin Coolidge had pet raccoons and a pygmy hippopotamus named Billy, among many other exotic pets. James Buchanan had a Newfoundland named "Lara" and owned a herd of elephants, which were a gift from the King of Siam, and two bald eagles. John F. Kennedy had a collection of animals joining him at the White House, including dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters, ponies, and horses.

Teddy Roosevelt had the most elaborate menagerie at the White House, including a bear named Jonathan Edwards, a badger named Josiah, and a blue macaw named Eli. He also had a lion, a hyena, a wildcat, a coyote, bears, a zebra, and various dogs, cats, snakes, hamsters, and guinea pigs. Animals at the White House certainly provides opportunities for some embarrassing occurrences. Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Terrier named "Pete" chewed a hole in the French ambassador's pants at a White House reception. "Yuki", Lyndon B. Johnson's mix-breed dog would howl during Oval Office meetings. Jimmy Carter's dog "Grits" ruined a White House photo op for Heartworm Awareness Week by becoming aggressive, ripping off her muzzle, and growling while a technician tried to draw blood for a heartworm test. Obama and his family have a big choice to make. Animals living with their family at the White House are an American tradition, and whichever dog the Obama's choose, one thing is for sure, it will be one lucky dog.

RE-FUR-AL PROGRAM:

We do have a re-fur-al program for re-fur-ing friends & family. Discount varies by location.

Office Hours

Clifton Location

Monday:

Closed

Tuesday:

Closed

Wednesday:

Closed

Thursday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

Hoboken Location

Monday:

10:00 am-6:00 pm

Tuesday:

10:00 am-6:00 pm

Wednesday:

10:00 am-6:00 pm

Thursday:

Closed

Friday:

Closed

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Location

Find us on the map

TESTIMONIALS

  • "Foofie Poochies is a excellent grooming salon. The shop is very clean, Dogs are well taken care of. I have been taking my dogs there for over 8 years. The owner makes sure all dogs are up to date on shots, is very comforting to your dog when it enters to take away any fears you or your pet has, this I have seen first hand many times. They will make you aware of anything they suspect on your pet. My dog had a tick once and the owner even gave me the tick in the bag in case I wanted to have it checked. I have recommended friends to Foofie Poochies because I feel they are a very good grooming salon and are knowledgeable in grooming any type of dog. Also, if your dog has a health issue, the owner is extremely considerate in working with your pet, I have a dog with a health issue and she watches my buddy very closely making sure he is ok. One thing, they do stress you honor your appointment or at least let them know in a timely manner if you have to cancel. I trust them completely!"
    Tawny K (August,2023)
  • "Best groomer in Hoboken! We have been taking our two maltipoos here since we moved to the area 6+ months ago and Doreen does such an amazing job with both of them! She is very patient with both as one gets nervous at the groomer and the other is full of high energy (and I imagine she is difficult to keep still for grooming). They always look so good and smell amazing after! Doreen is always so nice and happy to see our pups. They love her and the sweet treats she gives! She offers a lot of different services that are affordable and never has long booking waits. Highly recommend taking your dog here!"
    Annabeth Canfield (July, 2023)
  • "Only groomers I trust my dog with been going here for years. Love the new location"
    LYNN D. (July, 2023)
  • "The best grooming salon in town!!"
    MARILYN F. (April,2023)
  • "Doreen took amazing care of my 10 month old puppy! He came home smelling great and looking clean! Doreen was extremely professional, quick to respond, knowledgeable, and very nice. We will definitely be back!"
    LAUREN C. (December, 2022)
  • "I have been using Foofies Poochies for close to 8 years ,my entire family has their fur babies groomed by Doreen.You will not find a more compassionate ,professional groomer anywhere else.I know she treats my fur baby like its her own and always feel secure leaving him there !!"
    BEV K. (October, 2022)
  • "My boys Dexter (cockapuggle) & Milo (Kashon) love it here & so do I. The groomers are so sweet and patient with my dogs. I've been coming here for about a year after bad experiences with other places. I've only had great experience with Foofie Poochies. They are excellent. I've recommended them to family and friends for their furry babies and they also love it here."
    JOAN T. (3/1/2017)
  • "Zonti always nervous when i take him to groomers but with them he is more relaxed he loves them he comes out smelling great and looking so handsome they are sweet and do a great job ...Highly recommend"
    JAS Z. (2/25/2017)
  • "King has been going to Doreen since he was a puppy! he's almost 3 now! She always leaves him looking like a million bucks! I Love that we found such a clean nice shop!! "Auntie Doreen" is the best!"
    CHRIS R.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Read about interesting topics

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Sign up for more articles