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Monday, April 4, 2016

Friends of the Famous - C



America’s 30th president Calvin Coolidge and his wife were well-known animal lovers and as such, pets were constantly being bestowed upon them from colleagues and international dignitaries alike; not that the Coolidge family minded.  They dearly loved their animal friends, including cats, dogs, a baby bear, a white goose, a pygmy hippo, a wallaby and a bobcat – to name a few. Yet, Calvin Coolidge did have a favorite; a raccoon he called Rebecca, whom he walked around the White House on a leash every day.  Once, during renovations at the White House Calvin Coolidge worried Rebecca might get lonely and sent a limo to bring her to where the family was staying!

Stricken by Bell’s palsy at an early age, George Clooney not only recovered but was later nominated by People magazine (twice) as the Sexiest Man Alive.  Not surprisingly, folks gaped in wonder when the Oscar-winning star of TV’s E.R was seen around town with a 300 pound best bud.  Max, as Clooney called his pot-bellied friend, was often spotted riding shotgun with him on afternoon cruises with the top down. The relationship lasted nearly two decades before Max passed away and Clooney now owns a dog named Einstein.


The academy award winning star of “Leaving Las Vegas” is clearly not one to back down from a challenge. Known for his intense on and off-screen personality, the only issue actor Nicolas Cage admits to having with his favorite (among several) Cobra friends is that the feeling is not necessarily mutual and it constantly tries to hypnotize him.

Sharing is part of life for many pet owners, as renowned rocker Alice Cooper well knows when he and his pet boa constrictor, Christopher enjoy watching football and Ghost Hunters with the family, of an evening. However, Cooper says he wishes his friend would act a bit more terrifying at concerts.


Do your pets travel in style?  Would (could) you watch T.V. with a snake?

15 comments:

  1. Hi, dear Diedre!

    In your C post I learned some interesting and fun facts about the rich and famous. More animals at the White House? (Well, we need to remember that there is always a donkey or an elephant there, too :) Who knew that a raccoon can suffer separation anxiety when its owner is away? I suppose that holds true for just about any long term pet. For some reason, Mrs. Shady has an intense dislike of George Clooney, even though he co-starred in ER, one of her favorite TV series. I think she dislikes men with swagger. I never knew Clooney owned a pot-bellied pig. I can understand how the animal would serve as a conversation starter when meeting members of the opposite sex. Nick Cage strikes me as eccentric and it doesn't surprise me that he owns cobras. It never occurred to me that the constrictor with which Alice Cooper appears on stage and on album covers might actually be his pet. One of my favorite horror movies is Sssssss (1973) starring Dirk Benedict who played "Face' on The A-Team.

    Thank you, dear friend Diedre!

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    1. Oh dear Shady, now I've sloshed coffee everywhere - due to a fit of giggles! Animals in the White house...
      I tend to agree with Mrs. Shady, though you put it into better perspective. I loved ER but never quite believed Clooney fit the role as much as the general public did. Up until now I was under the mistaken assumption that pot-bellied pigs remained cute and wiggly and thought I'd like to own one myself. Now that I know they grow to such massive sizes, not so much;-)
      I must admit, the mention of snakes has me searching for higher ground. I haven't seen the movie you mentioned but I did see part of the one about snakes on a plane and climbed to the top of the sofa until Mi Vida turned it off! Guess I'm not a fan ;-)

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  2. This is so cool, Deidre. The Coolidges have risen a notch in my respect list... even if some of the animals they owned shouldn't have been in captivity to begin with. It was a different time, wasn't it?

    Thanks for the visit over at Life In Dogs ! Loved your comment :)

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    1. Hi Guilie!
      I thought the same as you about some of those pets. What a blast it has been researching some of these characters;-) I'm glad you enjoyed and I love your theme! I'm heading over soon to catch today's post at Life in Dogs:-)

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  3. Those sure were some wacky times in the early White House. OMG! That would make for a GREAT TV show! "The Wacky House"

    I never new that about George Clooney. Fascinating. The pet or the disease.

    Nicolas Cage just might have been hypnotized. I hope the cobra has no juice, or that would be a dangerous pet to have. Wouldn't it?

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    1. Hi Jeffrey1
      The Wacky House - ha! No doubt it would be interesting to see how they actually dealt with some of these critters.
      I knew Clooney had the pig from pictures I'd seen, but checking out his bio and different interviews was indeed enlightening;-)
      I wasn't surprised about Cage having cobras - and shoot yes, that would be dangerous! I am very uneasy around snakes, poisonous or not. What I am surprised about is how many folks have them as pets when they don't purr or wag their tails in glee at the sight of their owners.

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  4. I don't have pets. But this past weekend, I was at a library event where the presenter brought live reptiles, including a 10+ foot python, for the children to pet. I don't know if I could watch TV with a snake, but I don't mind petting one if he seems friendly.

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    1. You are definitely braver than I, Cynthia! I had my grandson at a library event like the one you mentioned and I so wanted to tell him not to touch, but I just held my breath instead;-)

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  5. Interesting tidbits! Imagine all those animals at the White House!

    No snakes for me, please.

    I'm blogging about productivity for creative people this month. Happy A to Zing!
    Yvonne

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    1. Hi Yvonne!
      Much as I love animals, having that many could well be daunting;-)
      I'll be popping over to check out your tips for creative people!

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  6. I've seen cats on leashes and even a skunk, once, but never a raccoon. They are cute critters, except when they get into the garbage cans. I remember George Clooney's pet pig, but didn't know he had suffered through Bell's Palsy, A big NAY on the snakes! (But I love Alice Cooper!)

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    1. Hi Debbie!
      I'm always a little wary of wild animals as pets because you just never know when they'll have their fill of domestication and rebel.
      A skunk on a leash? I prefer regular pets like - grasshoppers!

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    2. I thought the skunk was cute. Of course, it had been "de-scented". I'm not thrilled with the idea of people making pets out of wild animals either. It's so unnatural for the poor creatures!

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  7. Hi Dierdre! I know we're not at R yet, but I suspect you know that Teddy Roosevelt and his family kept quite a menagerie at the White house too!

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    1. Yep! He was one I already knew about when I started my challenge list;-) Thanks, Susan :-)

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