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Presidential pets, ranked

From Socks the cat to a bunch of mice.
 By  Heather Dockray, Laura Vitto, and Chloe Bryan  on 

For far too long, White House pets have escaped public criticism, shielded by a facade of cuteness.

It's time to break that precedent and admit the truth: not all White House pets are created equal. Some are fluffier than others, and some just have quirkier names.

In order to determine each and every pet's worth in this world, we present the definitive ranking of every White House pet.

Judge for yourself, and then modify your opinions to complement our judgements. Thanks.

25. Marlon Bundo, the rabbit

President: Vice President Mike Pence

Note: He knows not what he's caught up in.

24. Dick, the mockingbird

President: Thomas Jefferson

Note: Was apparently allowed to fly freely around what is now the State Dining Room.

23. Barney and Miss Beazley, the Scottish terriers

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President Bush's dogs Barney (L) and Miss Beasley stroll along the driveway rior to the Annual White House Tee Ball Game. (Photo by ImageCatcher News Service/Corbis via Getty Images) Credit: Corbis via Getty Images

President: George W. Bush

Note: Not to blame.

22. A bunch of weird silkworms

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Credit: china photos/Getty Images

President: John Quincy Adams

Note: Very odd.

21. Royal Gift, the donkey

President: George Washington

Note: An actual royal gift from the Spanish king.

20. Hector, the French poodle

President: Grover Cleveland

Note: Dated a St. Bernard.

19. Bo, the Portuguese water dog

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Credit: Getty Images

President: Barack Obama

Note: Bo is fine, but pales in comparison to the rebellious Sunny.

18. Liberty, the golden retriever

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Credit: getty images

President: Gerald Ford

Note: There's no excuse for his dumb name, but we love this dog's can-do attitude.

17. Pauline Wayne and Mooly Wooly, the cows

President: William Howard Taft

Note: Did Mooly Wooly keep her name when she got married?

16. Checkers, the cocker spaniel

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

President: Richard Nixon (while serving as vice president)

Notes: Checkers was the only thing that made Richard Nixon seem human.

15. Old Ike, the ram

President: Woodrow Wilson

Note: Old Ike loved to chew tobacco, and was known for attacking White House staff and police.

14. Him and Her, the beagles

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Him and Her, pet Beagles of President Lyndon B. Johnson, sitting together in White House sitting room on upholstered chair. (Photo by Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) Credit: Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

President: Lyndon B. Johnson

Note: These dogs had model dog cheekbones.

13. Washington Post, the double-yellow-headed parrot

President: William McKinley

Note: Washington Post was way better than McKinley's rabbit, the Failing New York Times (jk).

12. Macaroni, the pony

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22 June 1962, White House - JFK, his children, John and Caroline, and pony Macaroni outside the Oval Office. Credit: Getty Images

President: John F. Kennedy

Note: This pony was a gift to Caroline Kennedy and received thousands of fan letters.

11. Old Whiskers, the billy goat

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

President: Benjamin Harrison

Note: Has great posture.

10. Socks, the cat

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Socks the Cat, the First Pet of President Bill Clinton and First Wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, with black fur, white face, and amber eyes, perched on an ornate white and gold mantled decorated for the Christmas holiday at the White House, reaching into his navy velvet holiday stocking monogrammed with his name, "Socks, " Washington, District of Columbia, 1993. Courtesy National Archives. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images). Credit: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

President: Bill Clinton

Note: Starred in his own video game.

9. Pushinka, the mixed-breed dog

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

President: John F. Kennedy

Note: Daughter of a Soviet celebrity space dog.

8. Feller, the cocker spaniel

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

President: Harry S. Truman

Note: Truman hated dogs, so when a woman from his home state of Missouri sent him Feller, he was quick to give him away. The president later lied to a reporter who asked him about the dog's whereabouts, claiming, "Oh, he’s around."

7. Satan, the mixed-breed dog

President: John Adams

Note: We don't know what this dog looked like, but we do know that his name was Satan.

6. Rex, the cavalier King Charles spaniel

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

President: Ronald Reagan

Notes: This dog doubles as a neck pillow.

5. The bathtub alligator

President: John Quincy Adams

Notes: After a French general gifted Quincy Adams with an alligator, he did what anyone in his position would do: stick it in a bathtub for months.

4. Pete, the squirrel

President: Warren G. Harding

Note: It's a squirrel! Haha.

3. Rebecca, the raccoon

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US First Lady Grace Coolidge (1879 - 1957) holds up her pet raccoon, Rebecca, for a crowd of children at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Washington DC, April 18, 1927. (Photo by Herbert French/PhotoQuest/Getty Images) Credit: Herbert French/PhotoQuest/Getty Images

President: Calvin Coolidge

Note: Rebecca was sent to the White House to be eaten, but the Coolidges family decided to make it a family pet instead. Tough call.

2. Just a bunch of mice

President: Andrew Johnson

Notes: While President John was being impeached, he became increasingly depressed. He began to leave flour out at night so that a family of white mice would come out to play with him.

1. Sunny, the Portuguese water dog

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US President Barack Obama's family dog Sunny, a Portuguese water dog who arrived at the White House on August 19, 2013 and was born in June 2013, is mobbed by journalists as she walks around near the press briefing room at the White House in Washington on September 9, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

President: Barack Obama

Note: Bit a White House visitor's face during final weeks in office.

Topics Animals

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Heather Dockray

Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.

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