You think your dog is a handful? Teddy Roosevelt’s pit bull literally bit the French Ambassador, and the president basically just shrugged. Yes, really. 💀
Theodore Roosevelt’s White House was basically a zoo. He had snakes, a badger, a one-legged rooster, and a whole bunch of other animals. But the most chaotic of them all was Pete, a bull terrier who had zero chill.
Pete was TR’s favorite, a “ridiculously affectionate, fighting bulldog.” But he had a wild side. He would regularly chase and bite people, from naval officers to cabinet members. Roosevelt’s reaction? He’d just laugh it off, saying it was just “the nature of the breed” or blaming it on the dog’s opinion of their politics. Can you even imagine? 😂
Things went from funny to a full-blown international crisis. The French Ambassador, Jean Jules Jusserand, came to the White House for a visit. Pete took one look at the ambassador’s fancy pants and decided they were a threat.
The dog chased Jusserand down a hallway, latched onto his trousers, and ripped a giant hole in the seat of his pants. The ambassador was, understandably, not thrilled. This wasn’t just some little nip; it was a straight-up attack that almost caused a diplomatic disaster. 🇫🇷💥
Here’s the wildest part. Even after his dog assaulted a foreign diplomat, Roosevelt still didn’t want to get rid of Pete. He loved that dog. It was only after the French government formally complained that TR finally had to act.
But he didn’t punish the dog. Instead, Pete was quietly “exiled” to the Roosevelt family home on Long Island. He got to live out his days in comfort, probably dreaming of chasing more squirrels and terrorizing more politicians. What a life. 🤯
This story is so wild because it shows a totally different side of a famous president. Teddy Roosevelt, the tough-as-nails leader, was just a total softie for his badly behaved dog. It’s a hilarious reminder that even the most powerful people in history are still just people... and sometimes, their pets are absolute menaces. 🐕
Theodore Roosevelt's Pete - Presidential Pet Museum
When the President's Dog Misbehaves - Psychology Today
A White House Pet ‘Tore The Trousers’ Of A French Ambassador - Forbes
