From the White House:
It..,?
TA First Ladj takes son John, Jr., for a ride
on Sardar, a gift from the president of
Pakistan. Caroline is riding her pony Macaroni.
"Please,
No More
Pets!"
By MARYA SAUNDERS
Jackie celebrates her 34th birthday today, but she probably
won't get an animal as a gift; like the rest of
her family, she loves them but enough is enough
Pushinka, the daughter of Russian space dog
Strelka, was sent to the White House
(with passport) as a gift from Khrushchev.
' AT88, J0HN F KENNEY celebrates
1VL her 34th birthday today, and the
White House has a request:
"Please, send no pete !"
But don't feel snubbed. Just about the same
message was sent by the State Department re
cently to King Hassan of Morocco. The King,
about to leave for his first official visit to the
United States, was terribly disappointed. He had
just ordered a small gray pony, its mane plaited
with the Moroccan colors of red and green, as
his present for the Kennedys.
"It's our policy not to accept 'live gifts' for the
family," Pamela Turnure, Jacqueline Kennedy's
press secretary, explained. "If we hear some
body intends to send one, we write immediately
saying we cannot accept it Any animal that ar
rives without advance notice is watered and fed.
It may even be kept overnight to make sure it's
in good health, but then it is given away."
So many "live gifts" have been sent to Caro
line and her mother that for a while the White
House was running the risk of being turned into
a xoo. There had to be a clamp down. Not only
was it swarming with animals, but some of the
more mischievous ones were leading the First
Family into undignified adventures.
Debbie and Billie were a pair of hamsters that
managed to gain admittance to the Executive
Mansion before rules were tightened. On their
second night there, they discovered how to break
out of their cages. They created quite a stir when
the President stumbled on them in his bathroom.
They disappeared again the next night, and
President Kennedy found them under his bed.
Actually, the President himself might be re
sponsible for starting the influx of animal gifts
to his family. On Nov. 24, 1960, a little girl in
Palm Beach, Fla., gave President-elect Kennedy
two ducks. He carried them home on his plane
to give Caroline for her third birthday.
On Nov. 25 John, Jr., was born ahead of sched
ule. With all the excitement, John, Sr., did not
neglect his ducks. In a press interview giving
details of the birth, Pierre Salinger, the Presi
dent's press secretary, also reported the ducks
were doing fine and were at home in the bathtub.
Last year Caroline's canary, Robin, died de
spite the best care. Funeral services held1 on the
lawn were attended by Caroline, her mother,
and a few of Robin's close friends. He was
buried, at Caroline's request, near the play area.
Two parakeets, Maybelle and Bluebelle, are the
only feathered friends currently in residence.
As a boy, President Kennedy's first pet was a
Newfoundland. Mrs. Kennedy's first childhood
pet was a Scotty. It was natural, then, that the
first pet they bought Caroline was a dog a dig
nified Welsh terrier named Charlie.
Charlie reigned as sole Kennedy canine for
some time. But when Nikita Khrushchev
gave Pushinka to Mrs. Kennedy, Charlie had real
competition. "Have you met Pushinka?" Caro
line would ask White House callers. Then she'd
explain that the pet's mother was the famous
Russian space dog Strelka.
It didn't take Pushinka long to establish her
self as the President's problem pet as well. She
first embarrassed the President by running
away. Next, White House physicians became
alarmed when the President broke out in a rash
and started to sneeze. It was discovered that
JFK was allergic to dog hair and Pushinka
had a full and fluffy white coat
Banned to the far reaches of the White
House, Pushinka coexisted with Charlie on the
lawn and in the flower room. Her next problem
was just a matter of time. On Dec. 7, 1962, the
United Press reported, "Patter of litter feet due
in Capital . . . Pushinka has been examined by
veterinarians, and the signs indicate mother
hood." The report continued, "The father? All
signs point to Charlie." Later a discreet an
nouncement was made. Pushinka had had a
nervous breakdown and was in Walter Reed Hos
pital for treatment. Poor problem-prone Pushin
ka had lost her puppies.
When she recovered and returned home, an
other newcomer was vying for position as "top
dog" in the animal kingdom on Pennsylvania
Avenue. Joseph P. Kennedy had given his daughter-in-law
a German shepherd named Clipper
(pronounced Clippah). But Pushinka last month
regained status by becoming the proud mother
of four puppies.
If it were up to Caroline, the New Frontier
would be something like Noah's Ark. When she
was introduced to the astronauts, she looked at
each one carefully. Then obviously disappointed,
she turned to Lt Col. John Glenn and asked,
"Where's the monkey?"
Caroline has two ponies. Macaroni and Tex,
who sometimes graze on the White House grass.
She and John, Jr., were each lifted astride a
pony when scarcely a year old.
It is unfortunate for Caroline that the White
House has had to clamp down on the size of its
menagerie, and the Woman's National Press Club
has recognized the Kennedy dilemma. A song in
their 1963 show which annually spoofs politi
cians had Caroline lamenting:
"If Dad was a plumber we'd live in a house
As private, as private can be.
Just Mama and John, Macaroni, three dogs,
Two monkeys, one father, six turtles, and me."
Family Wnkly. July II, IHi