First Pets: Famous presidential companions

Joe Biden's dog, Major, is to be re-homed due to biting issues. Now, the US president has introduced his new puppy, a purebred German shepherd: "Welcome to the White House, Commander," he tweeted on December 20. The Bidens also announced more than a year ago that they would be getting a cat, due to arrive in January. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to bring felines into the White House.

Donald Trump was the first US president in more than 100 years not to have a pet at the White House. His predecessor, Barack Obama, shared the home with pet dogs Bo and Sunny. Bo quickly found favor with the public when Obama came into office — he even starred in a number of children's books. His little sister, Sunny, was equally popular. They both met many foreign dignitaries, including the pope.

The Bidens' cat won't be the first famous feline in recent years. Bill Clinton moved into the White House with Socks the cat, as well as Buddy, a Labrador retriever. Socks was an adopted stray who reportedly enjoyed sitting on the president's shoulder in the Oval Office, and was even featured on stamps with President Clinton printed in the Central African Republic.

President George W. Bush had three dogs and a cat living in the White House during his two terms in office. The most famous were Barney and Miss Beazley, related Scottish terriers. The pair were featured in a series of White House videos, including "A Very Beazley Christmas," to commemorate their first holiday in the White House.

One of the most famous "first pets" was Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish terrier, Fala. He made news in 1944 when a rumor surfaced that the president had accidentally left him behind on a trip to the Aleutian Islands, and then sent a Navy Destroyer to pick him up with taxpayers' money. Denying it in a campaign speech, Roosevelt told opponents to leave his dog alone.

One of the most photogenic White House pets was Macaroni the pony, a gift to John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline. They appeared together on the cover of "Life" magazine, an image which reportedly inspired the song "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy would go out riding with Caroline, taking along her younger brother, John Jr.

One of the most unique critters to live in the White House was a raccoon named Rebecca. She was mailed to President Calvin Coolidge by a supporter in Mississippi, who suggested she would make a tasty addition to their Thanksgiving meal. Coolidge, an animal-loving president, assured reporters that he had never and would not eat a raccoon. Instead, he kept her as a pet and named her Rebecca.

Back when foreign leaders gave exotic animal gifts as standard practice, President John Quincy Adams, in office from 1825 to 1829, was given an alligator by a French general who fought alongside George Washington. Adams kept the gator in a White House a bathroom and enjoyed showing it off to guests. In the 1930s, President Hebert Hoover's son brought his two alligators to the presidential mansion.