Presidential pets: 20 White House dogs and cats of years gone by

As Champ and Major Biden take on their roles as First Dogs, here's a look back at pets of presidents past

US First Lady Jill Biden with First Dog Champ outside the White House, in Washington on Sunday, January 24. EPA

US president Ronald Reagan and his pet dog Lucky, with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the White House Rose Garden in 1985. AP

First lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Clipper the German shepherd, standing with her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill of Poland, and niece, Anna Christina Radziwill, on the walkway outside the Oval Office. Reuters

President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton walk Buddy the chocolate labrador across the South Lawn of the White House to board Helicopter Marine One in March 1998.

President Theodore Roosevelt with his wife, Edith Roosevelt, five of their children and their dog, Skip, who was one of many pets they moved into the White House in 1901. Library of Congress

President Franklin D Roosevelt with his dog Fala at a picnic on Sunset Hill. At the time, Fala was four months old. Wiki Commons

Bo, left, and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House in August 2013. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Major, one of the family dogs of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, explores the South Lawn after his arrival from Delaware. Reuters

President Barack Obama is almost jerked off his feet as he walks Portuguese water dog Bo, then six months old, with his daughters Malia and Sasha Obama in April 2009. AP

Socks, president Bill Clinton's cat, at the White House Press Briefing Room lectern in 1993. Wiki Commons

First lady Nancy Reagan holding the Reagans' pet Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and president Reagan walk on the White House South Lawn. AP/Shutterstock

President Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Liberty, their golden retriever on the South Lawn of the White House in May 1975. Shutterstock

President Herbert Hoover with his pet Belgian shepherd dog King Tut. Hoover was president from 1929 to 1933. Wiki Commons

President Lyndon Johnson with his dog, Him. The president caused a storm of protest when he lifted his dog by his ears in May 1964. Wiki Commons

Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier owned by president Warren G Harding. Harding was president from 1921 to 1923. Wiki Commons

President George W Bush plays with his Scottish terriers, Barney and Mrs Beazley, on the South Lawn of the White House in April 2005. AFP

Archie Roosevelt with his Calico pony, Algonquin, on the White House Lawn in 1902 when his father Theodore Roosevelt was president. Wiki Commons

First lady Grace Coolidge with Laddie Boy, an Airedale terrier, and Rob Roy, a white collie, in September 1924. Calvin Coolidge was president from 1923 to 1929. Wiki Commons

First lady Barbara Bush pets family dogs Millie, bottom, and Ranger on the steps of the White House, while waiting for George H Bush to return from playing golf. AP

Susan Ford, daughter of Gerald Ford, and the family's Siamese cat, Shan, in 1974. Wiki Commons

Champ and Major Biden have made it to the White House. This week, President Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden's two dogs moved into their new Washington home.

This isn't Champ's first stint as a political pup; the dog, 12, was a part of the family when President Biden served as vice president from 2009 to 2017.

Major, 3, however, is a newer arrival. The energetic   German shepherd was adopted by the family in late 2018 from the Delaware Humane Association's shelter – he is famously the first rescue animal to take residence at the White House.

While the pair of German shepherds might be the newest pets to take residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they are certainly not the first.

From the Obamas' Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Bo, who resided at the White House during Barack Obama's presidency, to Gerald Ford's golden retriever, Liberty, and Socks, Bill Clinton's family cat, here we look back at some of the most memorable animals to move into the White House.

Click though the gallery above to see some presidential pets from years gone by. 

Donald Trump was the first US president to not take a pet into the White House for more than 150 years. He was the first president since James K Polk (1845-1849) not to bring in a furry family friend.

Other, not pictured, animals that have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue include Jack the turkey, saved from the cooking pot by Abraham Lincoln; Whiskers the goat, who lived with Benjamin Harrison; and Theodore Roosevelt's innumerable pets, including a one-legged rooster and a badger named Josiah.