Presidential Pets

Thomas Jefferson owned a beloved Mockingbird named Dick. Dick was housed in the White House study although he could frequently be found riding about on Thomas Jefferson's shoulder. This bird was such a favorite he was also allowed to join Jefferson at mealtimes and would snatch food from between the President's lips.

It is also known that Jefferson received two Grizzly Bear cubs from the Lewis and Clark expedition. They were not considered pets although there is a report of Jefferson walking about the White House lawn with them. Once the cubs started to mature, they were sent to Philadelphia to live in a museum/zoo.

Grizzly photograph courtesy of Jean-Pierre Lavoie and Wikimedia Commons