The tradition of pets in the White House goes all the way back to the Founding Fathers. From the parrot and foxhounds of George Washington to Spot and Barney, the current canines of the Bushes, the First Family’s animal companions have always had a special place in America’s heart. These various (and often exotic) animals have enjoyed the special privileges of living in the nation’s capital, giving them access to the scenes of power. So when something goes awry in the White House, who better to solve it than these pet detectives? Did Rex, Ronald Reagan’s King Charles spaniel, play a role in uncovering Irangate? What mystery did Franklin Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala, uncover when left on the Aleutian Islands? How would some of the more unusual pets, such as John Quincy Adams’s pet alligator or Calvin Coolidge hippopotamus, search for clues in the halls of the Executive Mansion?

Complete list of stories: (All stories copyright 2002 except for Sax and the Single Cat , 1993)

• Martha's parrot by Edward D. Hoch
• A Mimicry of Mockingbirds by Lillian Stewart Carl
• Alligator Tears by Bill Crider
• The Greatest Sacrifice by Brendan DuBois
• Tabby Won't Tell by Jan Grape
• Under Hoof by Jeffrey Marks
• The Princess and the Pickle by Carolyn Wheat
• Remember the Maine? by Jeanne Dams
• The Secret Staff by Janet Pack
• Trouble A-Bruin by Esther Friesner
• Izzy's Shoe-In by P. N. Elrod
• Fala and the Ghost of Bulows Minde by Kate Grilley
• Dr. Couch Saves a President by Nancy Pickard
• Sax and the Single Cat by Carole Nelson Douglas