Is the 'First Yard' Ready for a New Dog? Guess What Else Once Roamed the White House Grounds?

While that much-discussed dog will most likely join the Obama White House in coming months, a trip back in history reveals that United States presidents have owned all kinds of creatures. How have previous occupants' opossums, snakes, ponies or goats fit into the outdoor living spaces of the White House? Take a look at the menagerie that has graced the grounds of the executive mansion since the 1800s in this historical photo gallery of presidential pets and their owners in the 'First Yard.'

LBJ Library Photo by Yoichi R. Okamoto / D1493-15