While we don't quite know when the first animal was domesticated, archeologists have been finding evidence of humans having pets dating back thousands of years. We asked National Trust Historic Sites and members of our Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program to share the tales of pets that once roamed the grounds and brought love and joy to those who lived with them.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (Cornish, New Hampshire)

This 190-acre site features the home, studios, and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s greatest sculptors. The Saint-Gaudens family loved animals and had many pets over the years.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens considered his Scottish deer hound, Dunrobin, the most beautiful dog and featured him in several of his artworks. While there are no known photographs of Dunrobin, he is forever memorialized in a portrait relief of Mortimer and Freida Schiff, the children of Jacob H. Schiff, a prominent banker.

Fonthill Castle (Doylestown, Pennsylvania)

Home of archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramist, scholar, and antiquarian Henry Chapman Mercer, Fonthill Castle was also a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints, not to mention home to many pets throughout the years.

A noted canine lover, Mercer had several dogs at the castle during his lifetime. His favorite was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Rollo, whose legacy at Mercer’s castles lives on in “Rollo’s Stairs,” two sets of steps found at both the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle. Mercer encouraged the dog to leave his paw prints during the construction of the stairs.

Brucemore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

A National Trust Historic Site, Brucemore is a living landmark that charts the history of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Perhaps the most famous Brucemore resident was Howard and Margaret Hall’s pet lion, Leo. Howard’s business took him to California where he developed numerous contacts in Hollywood, including Billy Richards, the vice-president of World Jungle Compound, a business which handled “Jackie” the famous MGM lion.

Howard and Margaret owned three lions in succession, all named Leo. The first Leo did not live long, He was related to Jackie, the MGM lion. The second Leo joined the Halls in 1937 and lived for 13 years until 1951. This is the lion that appears in many family photos and home movies; he is the only lion buried in the Pet Cemetery.

If you’re visiting Brucemore today, you’ll find a feline friend living in the Artisan Studio; he goes by Charlie. You follow his various escapades on Instagram (@sircharlesstudiocat). He currently serves as the Studio Manager, greeting musicians working on artist development projects. When not with a current artist in residence, you will find him prowling the estate in search of the latest event, scoping out the crowd and the snacks, climbing trees to get a better view, or napping in his favorite spots in the sun.

Filoli (Woodside, California)

Hidden around the Georgian Revival-style mansion are several dog statues, placed as a fun scavenger hunt for the littlest visitors. Their purpose? To teach them the importance of preserving historic collections.

The statues are inspired by a real French bulldog named Toto who lived at Filoli in the 1920s. He was a pet of the Bourn family who built Filoli as a self-sustaining country estate.