'09
The White House dog is finally here! Thank goodness, because I was really starting to worry about Malia and Sasha. They’re such good girls, and they had been waiting so patiently for their dad to get them a puppy, but Dad kept changing the date. Michelle Obama confirmed last month that the dog would arrive sometime around the Easter holiday, and President Obama told Jay Leno that the dog would come after the presidential visits in Europe.
Initially, the reports indicted that the new puppy would arrive at the White House on Tuesday, and that Sen. Ted Kennedy would formally give the dog over to the Obamas. But the Obamas pulled a fast one, and brought the 6-month-old puppy to the White House this weekend. It’s a boy dog named Bo, and he’s a Portuguese Water Dog, the favorite breed of Ted Kennedy. The Washington Post (story via People Magazine) says that Malia and Sasha named the dog, and that the early reports of the name “Charlie” were wrong. People Magazine has more:
Forget about hunting for Easter eggs. The president’s daughters have a much better treat in store this holiday weekend: a new dog!
After months of anticipation, a 6-month-old Portuguese Water Dog named Bo is now calling the White House home.
First, the name. According to the Washington Post , which published confirmation of the White House dog news Sunday, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, chose the name because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because Mrs. Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley, as in Bo Diddley. The dog is a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns three dogs of the same breed, known for high spirits and said to be a good fit for kids with allergies (such as Malia). Kennedy had been lobbying the Obamas to get a Portuguese Water Dog (or PWD) for months.
The newspaper reports that the Obama girls are delighted – they’ve been waiting anxiously since their dad promised them a dog during his presidential campaign – and that the family, first-time dog owners, are still deciding where Bo will sleep and who will walk and feed him. Under a veil of secrecy, the Post reports, Bo actually made a trip to the White House earlier to meet the family. “The Meeting,” as it was called by staffers, was a success.
But the highly-orchestrated canine delivery procedure didn’t go without a few hitches.
First, news began to circulate that a Portuguese Water Dog by the name of Charlie had been selected for the First Family after a Web site called firstdogcharlie.com posted the information, and a photo, Saturday. The White House called the photo “bogus” and told news organizations (including PEOPLE) that the First Dog would make its debut Tuesday – although Bo, it is now apparent, was already at the White House over the weekend.
Then there are the questions about the dog’s origins that are sure to bedevil the Administration. The Obamas originally discussed rescuing a dog from a shelter. But valuable and highly-bred PWDs rarely show up at shelters. Bo is said to have lived with a family that decided not to keep him, but that won’t likely satisfy animal rescue advocates who wanted the Obamas to take in a stray.
To help ease disappointment, according to the Washington Post, the family will make a donation to the District of Columbia Humane Society.
From People Magazine
People were going to complain about something, no matter what kind of dog the Obamas got. Personally, I’m a big believer in rescue animals (my dog’s a rescue) but I’m not offended that the Obamas needed a certain kind of dog to take into account Malia’s allergies. Plus, the dog is technically a gift from Sen. Kennedy, so it’s not like the First Family shelled out thousands of dollars for a fancy purebred dog. Although who knows how much Kennedy paid for his “gift”.
It should be mentioned, this is not the first purebred dog that was given to a sitting president. Just in the last administration, former governor Christy Todd-Whitman gave President Bush a little Scottish terrier as a gift in the first year – and Barney ended up being one of the most popular members of the Bush Administration! After Barney, President Bush grew so fond of the breed that he gave Laura her own Scottish terrier puppy – Miss Beasley.
Photos courtesy of WhiteHouse.gov.
Written by Kaiser
Posted in Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Pets
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18 Responses to “Meet Bo Obama – the new White House puppy”
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I’m glad they finally got him, and I don’t care where people get their dogs from as long as they don’t come from mills or backyard breeders. I’m sure the dog will be well taken care of, and he’s darling.
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Hooray for Portuguese Water Dogs! I have one of my own, and he’s a sweet, cuddly-wuddly little guy, and also very lazy and quiet (I don’t know if that’s part of the breed standard, but since I’m lazy, too, I like it!).
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I hope Bo makes a Christmas movie like Barney did every year!!
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@ Mandy I agree, who cares where the dogs come from. I would hate to see the same thing happen to the Obama’s like Oprah’s puppy which came from a shelter, especially when it’s the girls first experience.
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awwwwwwwww, what a cutie pie.. you can judge a person’s heart by their treatment of animals… way to go Obama
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Although this puppy is as cute as anything, he is JUST that: a puppy. same as any other…SERIOUSLY, why does everyone care so much about this? I can’t remember any president in recent history who’s followers were so obsessive about every single little idiocincricy in their lives. It’s borderline sickening at this point.
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How’s that puppy ever going to understand the difference between his name being called and the order “No!” ?
This ought to be a confusing name…
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PEOPLE! stop saying mean things about the dog I always have wanted one there is no reason he will be confused about his name he will get used to it and patrice you are WRONG he is adorable little cuddley dog I ought to watch you have one and see your reaction once you love him so try it!!!!
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That puppy is adorable!!! I also love the photo of President Obama introducing Bo to his daughter.
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Cute puppy. It makes sense for them to get a purebred bog with Malia’s allergies since a pound puppy is any mix of things. I’ve gotten all of my pets “secondhand” (dog from shelter, cat from the street, rodents from a science teacher, fish from same science teacher), but I think it’s a good choice for them.
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Sweet little pup!! He is such a cutie.
The pictures are priceless.
@Bellatrix, I agree. I wanted to name our last pup Beau, but thought the same thing you did about it rhyming with ‘no’. Maybe the first family will use another word for correcting him or hand signals.
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Patrice: Obama’s “followers?” Who would that be? And you do realize, don’t you, that it’s the media who write these stories, right? Regular everyday people (are those his “followers?”) aren’t able to write news stories that air on TV and such.
Shrug. So I guess ask the media. As I recall Barney had quite a few stories, too.
Again, shrug.
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Patrice, it’s just that people like the idea of having a relatively young First Family, who appear to be so close-knit. Of course we’re curious, and why shouldn’t we be? How a man treats his family (including pets!) is probably the best measure of integrity there is.
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@Bellatrix/daisy424, nah, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. My parents have an Aussie named Bo, and he clearly understands the difference between his name and “NO!” I think dogs pay more attention to tone of voice.
What an adorable puppy.
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