Presidential Pets Have Prowled The White House For Centuries
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBSNewYork) -- Some of the most popular tenants of the White House have not been presidents but their pets.
As CBS News' Weijia Jiang reported, one woman's passion for those presidential pets changed her life.
Long before Bo and Sunny Obama stole hearts, there was Barney Bush and before that, Buddy and Socks the cat.
"Over 400 animals went through the White House," Claire McLean explained.
McLean became fascinated with them after a chance encounter with a presidential pooch named Lucky.
"She was rambunctious, and had a mind of her own," she said. "She was even pulling President Reagan in the Rose Garden."
The 84-year-old is an expert on the breed known as Bouvier de Flanders. So when the Reagans got a puppy in 1985, she was asked to groom it.
She even secretly saved a souvenir.
"I swept up the hair, put it in a brown paper bag, and snuck out of the White House with it," she said.
Lucky inspired McLean's mother to paint a portrait, using the dog's own hair. Then, the painting inspired her. McLean started hunting for presidential pet memorabilia.
In 1999, she had enough to open a museum in Maryland, featuring statues, books and vintage pictures -- even a bell said to belong to President William Taft's milk cow.
"It changed my life by giving me something to be very passionate about," McLean said.
It's not just the animals that she's drawn to, it's also their role in U.S. history.
"You can teach children and adults about the presidents of the United States and about the history of the country through the pets easier than you can through anything else," she said.
Much like the country, the pets have changed over time.
President Benjamin Harrison's grandchildren had a goat named Whiskers. Teddy Roosevelt had all sorts of pets, including exotic birds and a pony for his son, Quentin. And who could forget Caroline Kennedy on her pony, Macaroni.
"First families with pets make people feel like they're just like us," McLean said.
She wants to share the memories, but her museum closed six years ago. Now, she's looking for a new curator who's passionate about presidential pets.
CBS News was told the museum could soon have a new owner and that a sale is in the final stages.