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?
Hi, dear Diedre!
ReplyDeleteIn 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!
Oh dear Shady, now I've sloshed coffee everywhere - due to a fit of giggles! Animals in the White house...
DeleteI 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 ;-)
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?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit over at Life In Dogs ! Loved your comment :)
Hi Guilie!
DeleteI 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:-)
Those sure were some wacky times in the early White House. OMG! That would make for a GREAT TV show! "The Wacky House"
ReplyDeleteI 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?
Hi Jeffrey1
DeleteThe 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteYou 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;-)
DeleteInteresting tidbits! Imagine all those animals at the White House!
ReplyDeleteNo snakes for me, please.
I'm blogging about productivity for creative people this month. Happy A to Zing!
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne!
DeleteMuch as I love animals, having that many could well be daunting;-)
I'll be popping over to check out your tips for creative people!
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!)
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie!
DeleteI'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!
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!
DeleteHi 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!
ReplyDeleteYep! He was one I already knew about when I started my challenge list;-) Thanks, Susan :-)
Delete