Theodore Roosevelt’s Love for Pets

There’s no better way to celebrate National Pet Week than to take a brief look at the many pets Theodore Roosevelt and his family brought to the White House during their seven-and-a-half-year stay.

Caption on the back: “Peacock,” Teddie’s favorite

🌎 Roosevelt’s love for his pets reflected his interest in animals as a whole. He is known as the “Conservation President,” and that conservation included protecting not only the habitats of various animals but also the animals themselves.

🐻 Of course, the teddy bear toy came about due to Roosevelt’s refusal to kill a tied-up bear during a 1902 hunt in Mississippi because he believed it wasn’t sportsmanlike.

🦬 And the bison that Roosevelt originally so eagerly desired to kill during his first trip to Dakota Territory he later encouraged the protection of—becoming the first sitting president to argue for the preservation of the bison in his Fourth Annual Message in 1904.

🦭 At the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, we’re huge fans of pets and animals just like TR! We look forward to welcoming visitors into our galleries that will highlight the many experiences he had with animals during his life from the birds and mammals he observed as a young child to the Smithsonian-Roosevelt Expedition in 1909-1910 that collected over 11,000 animal specimens for science.

🍎 Educators, see below for resources you can use in your classroom related to TR’s White House pets and animals in general from our Teach with TR educational materials.