The Current
November 2012 • 15
Community
Pets at the White House From cats and dogs to a hippopotamus, lots of animals have lived with the president The president of the United States is a very stressful job. It can be difficult to keep 300 million Americans happy, right? Being the president comes with some perks, too. For starters, the president and his or her family lives in the White House, a huge mansion in Washington, D.C. Kids still get to go to school when their mom or dad is president, and they can have pets, too. President Calvin Coolidge reportedly had six dogs, a cat, lion cubs, bobcat, goose, antelope, donkey, wallaby and a pygmy hippopotamus. President John F. Kennedy’s children, John Jr. and Caroline, had a pony named Macaroni.
When Amy Carter, the daughter of President Jimmy Carter, lived in the White House, she had a cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang. Carter also had a tree house built in the yard for her by her dad. She had slumber parties with her friends in the tree house while the Secret Service guarded them from the ground. (For more about the Secret Service, check out the box on page 14.) Another famous cat that lived in the White House was named Socks. He lived there in the 1990s with President Bill Clinton. Believe it or not, two alligators have been White House pets. Both John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, and Herbert Hoover, the 31st president, had an alligator. The 15th president, James Buchanan, once received a herd of elephants as a president,
but he gave them to a zoo. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was known to love the outdoors and its wildlife. He had a zebra, bear, parrot, coyote, hyena, lion, rats and a one-legged rooster. His daughter, Alice, had a snake named Emily Spinach. Today, President Barack Obama’s family has a dog named Bo. When he was elected in 2008, Obama promised his daughters they would get a dog. Bo joined the family in 2009.
Going to the dentist can be fun and easy!
Above: President Bill Clinton had a cat named Socks that roamed the White House when he was president in the 1990s. At left: Amy Carter lived in the White House during the late 1970s with her dad, President Jimmy Carter, when she was between the ages of 4 and 9. Amy’s cat had a long and interesting name: Misty Malarky Ying Yang.
Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, is the current First Dog of the country. President Barack Obama and his family live with Bo in the White House.
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Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, had a pony named Macaroni that lived at the White House during the early 1960s. Macaroni was a gift from Lyndon B. Johnson, who was Kennedy’s vice president before later becoming president himself.
Wave challenge: Be a good citizen In November, Spokane Valley communities will be talking about this month’s PACE trait: citizenship. In fact, they won’t only be talking about citizenship, many adults will be showing good citizenship when they vote in the election Nov. 6. But citizenship isn’t just about voting. Here are three suggestions for how you can be a good citizen this month. 1. Pick up some trash: With the help of a parent, clean up an area of your neighborhood that has been victimized by litter. Helping your community stay clean and inviting is part of calling the Spokane
Citizenship
[sit-uh-zuhn-ship]: Positively contributing to society and community as well as dutifully respecting authority and the law. Valley area home. 2. Follow the rules: Whether away at school or at home with your family, you’ve probably noticed there are rules to follow. The same is true with our city, state and country. Laws and rules are in place to
help us live together in peace and harmony. Sometimes, kids can think of rules as a punishment. This month, identify some rules in your life and think of some reasons why they exist. 3. Share your talents: Are you an artist? Maybe you are a good listener. All of us have talents, and using those talents to benefit other people is part of belonging to a community. Some people call this “giving back.” For example, if you paint a beautiful picture, ask your parents if you can deliver it to a resident at a local nursing home.
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