What’s Going On Here?

1. From 1917 to 1918, the U.S. fought in World War I.

2. During the war, workers were in short supply. Food and other items were too.

3. Sheep eat weeds and grass. Also, a sheep can produce up to 30 pounds of wool a year. 

Scroll down to get the full story behind the photo!

When Woodrow Wilson was president, his pets included dogs and cats—and a flock of sheep!

The sheep didn’t hang around inside the White House though. Wilson and his wife, Edith, added the four lambs and 12 sheep to the lawns outside it in 1918. They were trying to save the United States money. In 1917, the country had entered World War I (1914-1918) and was spending billions of dollars as a result.

By using hungry sheep to trim the grass, the Wilsons saved on landscaping costs for the White House grounds, which span 18 acres. (That’s bigger than 13 football fields.) The couple also raised $52,823 for the Red Cross, a humanitarian group, by auctioning off the animals’ extra wool during the war.  

The Wilsons’ flock eventually grew to 48 sheep, plus a ram named Old Ike. The animals kept up their grazing duties even after the war ended. In this photo from 1919, they are standing behind the White House—taking a break from lunch!