When the Clintons were in the White House, their cat, Socks, had a thriving fan club for eight years. You could even take a virtual tour of the White House with Socks as your guide and have a color photo "pawgraphed" by Socks mailed to your home.

It wasn't until the scandal involving Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky surfaced that Buddy, the couple's frisky Labrador retriever, took center stage. If Hillary and Chelsea Clinton weren't always up to welcoming the beleaguered president back to the White House or walking him to the helipad, there was faithful Buddy, looking adorable and, well, faithful.

The same happened with George W. Bush when criticism over the Iraq war mounted. There was cute Barney, a Scottish terrier, held aloft in the president's arms when he waved to the press corps or dawdling along on the lawn as Bush walked to the helipad. Soon, Barney was joined by Miss Beazly, a Scottish terrier puppy given to Laura Bush by her husband for her birthday.

Picture perfect.

There have been First Pets as long as there have been presidents in the White House, and I have no doubt the Clintons and the Bushes are genuine pet lovers. But the Barneys and Socks of the house are masters at stealing the show - and bumping up the public perception of their masters.

"Bush was criticized for exploiting Barney and Miss Beazly, allegedly using them to deflect criticism from the war," said Claire McLean, who founded the Presidential

Yes, there is a museum devoted to presidential pets, and Claire and I both think it's an important part of our history.

Located in President's Park in Williamsburg, Va., the museum features several hundred exhibits and artifacts — everything from a portrait of Lucky, a pet of the Reagan family, made from her own dog hair to the cowbell of Pauline Taft, the last pet cow to graze at the White House.

You can visit the museum in person during summer months or you can browse the history of presidential pets at www.presidentialpetmuseum.com. The Web site has a lot of First Pet photos and great links to more information on these special animals.

Claire, a dog breeder and groomer, became interested in presidential pets when she was invited to the White House on an important mission: to restore the look of the elegant Bouvier des Flandres to the Reagans' overgrown Bouvier, Lucky.

"I carried some of Lucky's hair out of the White House, mounted it and auctioned it off for charity," says Claire. "It raised some money."

If you doubt presidential pets have played a big role in presidential history, just think back to the famous "Checkers" speech, when then-vice presidential nominee Richard Nixon gave a televised talk about the illegal campaign contributions he was accused of taking. Nixon said he had given back all of the gifts but one and there was no way he'd give up that very special gift, the family's dog, Checkers, a cocker spaniel beloved by his daughters Julie and Tricia.

The speech was credited with saving his career; Dwight Eisenhower allowed him to stay on the Republican ticket.

And who can forget images of Caroline Kennedy's pet pony, Macaroni - a present from then-Vice President Johnson - who roamed on the White House lawn?

It was earlier presidents who had truly colorful pets. Dick Mockingbird Jefferson, for instance, was the beloved pet of Thomas Jefferson. Dick spent many hours as witness to history in Jefferson's office, usually perched on his shoulder.

President William Taft's cow, Pauline, was the last cow to live at the White House and provided milk for the household.

Woodrow Wilson had Old Ike, a tobacco-chewing ram that grazed on the White House lawn during his administration. Rutherford Hayes had pedigreed Jersey cows and the first Siamese kitten to reach America. But no one could top Calvin Coolidge when it comes to First Pets. Along with various birds and dogs, he had lion cubs, a wallaby, a pygmy hippo and a bear.

By Linda Goldston, San Jose Mercury News, July 25, 2008