Claire McLean in 1999 founded thePresidential Pets Museum in Annapolis, which features memorabilia, portraits and trivia about the first pets that have lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
What sparked your interest in the presidency and in presidential pets in particular?
My mother passed her love of the presidency onto me. It didn’t make any difference which party they were from.
In 1985, I was invited to the White House to groom President and Mrs. Reagan’s dog, Lucky, a Bouvier des Flandres, a breed that I had written a book about.
What are some of the more interesting animals you have documented?
We know there were over 400 animals that went through the White House, many of whom were given from heads of state or ambassadors as a gift. Some ended up at the National Zoo, such as two tiger cubs the Van Buren children received. Woodrow Wilson had a herd of sheep to mow the lawn during World War I. There were cows, horses, birds, racoons and rams, to name a few.
What kinds of items do you have in your museum?
We have over 500 individual pieces of memorabilia, including artifacts, photographs and portraits. The biggest and most valuable is the lifesize bronze of Barney Bush. My mother took the hair from Lucky and made a portrait, and I am working on one of Barney and hopefully Miss Beazley. I also have the bell of Howard Taft’s cow, Pauline Wayne.
Why is it important to document presidential pet history?
Pets all played a very important part in the lives of the presidents. We know all the presidents besides Millard Fillmore, James K. Polk, and Chester A. Arthur had pets. Having pets allows the public to perceive them to be human beings and real people who can cry over the death of their dog.
