Presidential Pets

[deckardcanine]

The bulk of U.S. presidents
Have had some pets in residence,
Most often dogs and cats, of course,
And early prezes rode a horse.
A bunch kept several types of birds
And livestock often found in herds
And rabbits, fish—but let’s move on:
A badger on the White House lawn?
Raccoons, opossums, lions, bears,
A bobcat and hyena there?
Some alligators lived there too.
Some pets delivered to a zoo:
A wallaby, a little duiker,
Elephants, and two young tigers—
Then again, the last may be
A hoax with similarity
To someone else’s real-life gift.
Those days were ripe to make a myth.
Exotic pets were mostly dealt
To rugged Teddy Roosevelt
And Calvin Coolidge; since their days,
There’s not been nearly such a craze
For presidents collecting pets
That call for very special vets.