Pets in Pictures

For weeks the media have been focused on which breed of dog our new First Family would pick for their family pet. Turns out only two presidents have never had pets in the White House. You can read all about famous presidential pets in this article on the Mental Floss blog, from Calvin Coolidge’s pygmy hippo (no joke!) to Franklin Roosevelt’s adorable terrier named Fala. I’m bringing this series of pet photos to an end with these final three pictures. The two previous installments can be viewed on this blog: An Album of Ancestor’s Pets and Pet Photos: Our Ancestor’s Loved Their Dogs Too. Carol Norwood sent in one of her favorite family pictures. It was taken in Gottingen, Germany in 1892 and shows the Agricola family. Agnes Agricola and Hermann Simon (Carol’s great-grandparents) are seated in the center of the front row.

Claudia submitted a picture of her mother tending geese. She told me that her mother always said they would chase and bite her. She estimates this picture was taken circa 1933-1935.

One other reader sent an image for posting here. It depicts her grandfather’s older sister Margaretha Petersen, known to the family as Maggie, with their pet dog. The dog’s name wasn’t recorded. Maggie was born in 1888. According to the submission, Maggie was the family “pet” herself, the only daughter until her sister was born in 1899. The red discoloration is due to dye transferring from a paper sleeve to the image.

Anyone have a clue about the breed of this last dog? Thank you for sharing all these pictures.