History and Culture

Beatrix Potter, most famous for her book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was an author and illustrator of children’s books depicting animals, as well as a sheep breeder and conservationist. Potter was born in London in 1866 and was educated at home by governesses. She had many pets including frogs, newts, ferrets, a pet bat […]

Dogs have been our companions for thousands of years. But more than that, they have served and protected us loyally under any and all circumstances. In appreciation, memorials have been built to their devotion and heroism. Here are some of their stories. Sculptor Doug Roper was commissioned to create a War Dog Memorial in Long […]

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a non-profit organization, was founded in 1954. It is the largest animal protection agency in the world with 7 million members. The HSUS is dedicated to seeking a humane society both in the U.S. and worldwide. The HSUS protects animals through investigation, legal action, education, consumer advocacy […]

Actually, there is no record of the first police dog. But the Encyclopedia Britannica Online tells us that “Dogs were first trained in police work at the turn of the 20th century in Ghent, Belgium and the practice was soon adopted elsewhere.” Dogs have been man’s companion for thousands of years, serving in many ways, […]

GEORGE WASHINGTON, our first President, served from 1789-1797. While the White House was not constructed at that time, Washington’s pets can still be considered as “First Pets,” and he had many. Popular and unusual were a Lemur named Jackson and a Messenger Pigeon named Edmond. JOHN ADAMS, 1797-1801, was the first President to live in […]

Pets participated in the Civil War in a number of ways. There were dogs who fought on the front lines, spy dogs, hospital dogs, messenger dogs and prison dogs. Other animals served as mascots for the regiments. Despite orders to the contrary, many soldiers kept pets with them, including dogs, cats, squirrels and raccoons. General […]

Contrary to popular belief, Comanche was not General George A. Custer’s horse. He was the most famous horse in America and was idolized in the latter half of the 1800s. Comanche, a Mustang/Morgan mix, was an army horse, bought in 1868 and sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There a Captain Myles Keough of the 7th […]

Black Jack was a coal black Morgan/American Quarter Horse mix. He was named after General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing of World War I fame and served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment known as The Old Guard. Black Jack was born in Oklahoma, January 19, 1947 and began army life in 1952. He had […]

The ancient Romans enjoyed exotic animals and showed them off in the Colosseum. They enjoyed watching them perform tricks, being hunted and killed. Wolves, bears, wild boar, deer and goats were native to Rome and elephants, leopards, lions, ostriches and parrots were imported in the 1st Century B.C. They were followed by the hippopotamus, rhinoceros, […]