Quentin Roosevelt on his pony

Theodore Roosevelt was always fascinated with nature and animals. His legacy can still be seen today through specimens collected for museums. That love of animals is something he passed down to his six children who had among them snakes, dogs, cats, a badger, birds, a bear, guinea pigs, ponies, a hyena and five dogs!

When Roosevelt’s son Archie got the measles, his brother Quentin thought a visit from the family pony might cheer Archie up. Quentin put the animal on the White House elevator and brought him to Archie’s upstairs room. Roosevelt had to hold back laughter as he scolded Quentin. But, Quentin’s animal adventures didn’t end there. Once he borrowed a bunch of snakes from a pet store. Running to show his father, Quentin interrupted an important meeting and dropped the snakes all over his father’s desk.

Alice, Roosevelt’s 17-year-old daughter (and one of the prettiest girls in Washington), had a pet snake as well named Emily Spinach. She took great joy in hiding the snake in a covered dinner plate during large White House banquets, and waiting for the shriek from guests when Emily appeared.

The Theodore Roosevelt Family

Roosevelt’s bull terrier, Pete was a beloved member of the First Family but was not a hit with visitors. Pete once attacked the French ambassador. After much commotion he was found to be uninjured but the same couldn’t be said for his pants. Pete had shredded one entire pant-leg.

Among the White House pets were a guinea pig named Father O’Grady and of course the snake named Emily Spinach. Roosevelt himself had a Bull Dog named Pete and a Chesapeake Retriever named Sailor Boy. He also had a small bear named Jonathan. (not the Teddy Bear, that’s a different story!)