The mad, bad, sexy Lord Byron kept a pet bear in his university rooms at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Yes, in 1805, Lordy B. (who would later become the best-selling poet, and one of the most infamous ladykillers of all time) was told that he couldn’t bring his pet dog with him to university.

Like any normal person, in response Byron decided to circumvent these rules – bears, unlike dogs, were not explicitly banned, so… that’s what he brought. 

The bear stayed with him in his room until he graduated.

If you want to learn more about Lord Byron, there’s a great three-part podcast by The Rest is History which covers his full life and work.