John Tyler’s Wolfhounds

President John Tyler took over the Presidency upon the unexpected death of President William Henry Harrison. Like preceding Presidents, John and his wife Julia had pets during the Presidency, including a pair of Irish wolfhounds.

Irish Wolfhounds are huge dogs, standing at a minimum of 30 inches and clocking in at roughly 105-120 pounds. Luckily for the Tylers (and the White House staff) these dogs are “gentle giants” and generally non-aggressive.

The Tylers’ wolfhounds had to be imported from Ireland, and were a gift from John to his wife Julia. They must have been a quiet pair, as they received little lasting attention from the media or historians. Which is good for the Tylers, but makes it impossible to locate much information about them.