LBJ's Dogs
President Johnson and His Dogs
The Beagles
LBJ's most well-known dogs were his beagles—Him and Her. Born on June 27, 1963, the two were often with him while he was at his Texas ranch or at the White House. In 1964, the beagles got nationwide attention after LBJ lifted Him by his ears while greeting a group on the White House lawn.
How to identify: Her had a white strip that went up her nose and stopped between her eyes and her legs were mostly white. Him had a white strip running up his nose that ended at the crown of his head, an uneven muzzle with more white on the left than right, and had more brown and white markings on his legs.
Her died at the White House in November 1964 after she swallowed a stone. Him died in June 1966 after being hit by a car while chasing a squirrel on the White House lawn.
Freckles and Kim
Him sired a litter of puppies that were born in October 1965. LBJ's daughter, Luci, kept two of the puppies, Freckles and Kim. Luci first named Freckles, "Pecosa," Spanish for a single freckle, but the puppy eventually became known as Freckles.
In August 1966, Kim moved to Texas with Luci after her marriage to Pat Nugent, while Freckles remained at the White House with LBJ. Freckles had a litter of puppies in October 1966, which included Little Chap and Dumpling, and Kim had a litter in December 1966. When the Johnson family left the White House, Freckles was adopted by a White House staff member.
How to identify: Freckles had a mostly white snout with small spots, a white stripe running up her nose that ended at the crown of her head, a white spot on her right hip (like J. Edgar), and a white marking that went up her leg and into the hip. Kim's snout was primarily white on the left and brown on the right.
J. Edgar
After Him died in June 1966, J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, gave LBJ another beagle. LBJ named the dog J. Edgar, but later dropped the "J." and called the dog Edgar. When LBJ left the White House, Edgar moved to the LBJ Ranch.
How to identify: Similar to Freckles, J. Edgar had a white spot on his right hip, but had more brown on his right leg/hip than Freckles.
Other Beagles You May See in Photos
Little Beagle (LBJ's)
Astro (Luci's)
Beagle (Jack Valenti's)
Honey (Belonged to a White House staffer)
Little Chap (Freckles' pup)
Dumpling (Freckles' pup)
Bo (Freckles' pup)
And maybe lots more...
Identifying LBJ's Beagles
LBJ had many beagles throughout the years. See how our archivists keep track of all them in our archive.
Blanco
Blanco was a white collie born on July 19, 1963, and registered as Leader Blair Jamie of Edlen. He was given to LBJ and Lady Bird in December 1963, a gift from a little girl in Illinois. Before leaving the White House, they gave Blanco to a doctor and his wife in Kentucky. Blanco died in September 1974 of a heart attack.
Yuki
Yuki was a mixed breed dog found by President Johnson's daughter, Luci, at a gas station in Texas on Thanksgiving Day 1966, while on her way to the LBJ Ranch. Luci named him Yuki, which means snow in Japanese. At first, Yuki lived with Luci, but he eventually won LBJ's heart and became his faithful companion.
On Aug. 27, 1967, LBJ's birthday, Luci told her father that he could keep Yuki. He was often by LBJ's side, seen at meetings in the Oval Office and bill signings to trips abroad and domestically. When LBJ left office on Jan. 20, 1969, Yuki returned to the LBJ ranch with the Johnson family.
After LBJ passed in January 1973, Yuki went to live with Luci. He died sometime in 1979.
According to Luci, one morning they looked for Yuki in her backyard and could not find him. They searched for days and were never able to locate him. The family's veterinarian told them that sometimes elderly dogs will wander off in their last days. Luci suspects "the greatest light in his life left with my father and he just went looking for him."
