Today is National Dog Day.

Several U.S. Presidents had pets during their tenure at The White House. Several of them had dogs. President Lincoln and family had goats and ponies strolling about at one point through the Executive Mansion.

At one point, the Kennedy family had eight dogs. One in particular was Pushinka, a gift from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Abraham Lincoln was very fond of his dog, Fido. When he realized it wasn’t a good idea to take his beloved dog to The White House, he asked his good friend and neighbor, John Roll, to care for Fido until he returned to Springfield after serving as President. He had a long list of concerns and requests for the daily care of Fido. According to the website America Comes Alive, some of the requests were:

-They were never to tie him up in the backyard by himself.

He was a house dog, so he should be allowed inside when he scratched at the door.

-He was not to be scolded for having muddy paws.

-He should be permitted to join the Roll family at dinner. Fido was accustomed to being fed by everyone at the table.

Lincoln also had one other thought. Would the family like their couch that was specially made for Abe? It was green horsehair—7 feet long to accommodate the president’s height. Fido loved being on or near the couch, too.

A few other Presidential dogs were: