Caruso was given to Helen, the daughter of William Taft (the 27th president of the US), because the White House cows weren't particularly fun pets.
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| Helen Taft holding Caruso, and President Taft |
President Taft had a couple of pet cows named Pauline Wayne (or "Miss Wayne") and Mooly Wooly - the last cows at the White House. When Enrico Caruso (the famous Italian operatic tenor) performed for the Tafts, he gave the President's daughter Helen a little dog, thinking this would be a more appropriate pet for a young lady. Helen happily accepted the dog and named him Caruso. According to Mo Rocca in All the President’s Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over, Caruso had a bark that was "like a high pitch tenor" and "howled La Traviata."