White House photo by Pete Souza
How’s that for a pedigree?
Rumors abounded earlier this weekend, but now it’s official. President Obama has fulfilled at least one of his campaign promises and given daughters Sasha and Malia a puppy.
The first family has settled on a first pet, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog that the Obama girls are naming Bo.
The selection was one of the White House’s most tightly kept secrets.
President Barack Obama’s daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, picked a black and white pup, a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press Saturday night.
The dog is a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who owns several Portuguese water dogs himself.
Actually, I need to point out that the AP story above is slightly wrong. The dog wasn’t a gift from Senator Kennedy. That would be illegal. Bo, who shares the same lineage as Ted Kennedy’s two Portuguese water dogs, is actually being “re-homed” from the Texas kennel where he was living, something the Obamas have to do to avoid ethics violations.
Bo will have his first official press conference this Tuesday, when he will be presented to the Obamas by Senator Kennedy.
The girls chose the name Bo because their grandfather–Michelle Obama’s father– was nicknamed “Bo” (after Bo Diddley) and because their cousin has a cat named Bo. And, presumably because they wanted to give all the pun-happy headline writers in the mainstream media an excuse to dust off all those old “Bo knows” jokes. I’ll also bet you a whole dollar that I won’t be able to make it through the day tomorrow without hearing some cheesey news anchor utter the words “Who let the dogs in?” I refuse to participate.
Although not from a shelter, the dog was technically homeless, having been returned to the kennel by a previous owner who decided he could not care for the dog. Even so, some animal rights activists are upset that the First Family didn’t opt to adopt a dog from a D.C. area shelter.
How would it be illegal for the dog to be a gift? That I dont understand.. Can some one explain that to me lol
On the animal rights activists: Nothing is ever good enough for them! For christs sake at least they didnt get this pup from a puppy mill or store. Geeez.
It would be an ethics breach b/c Sen. Kennedy giving Obama a dog could be seen as bribery. So, he gives Obama the dog, but could want certain legislation passed in return (that’s the argument).
Thats what I thought it’d be, but was still confused lol. Thx Mercedes :)
No prob. Luckily I’m not a politician, so if you just happened to want to reward me for answering your question, I wouldn’t mind if you
Break Me Off A Piece of That
Kit-Kat Baaar!!!!!
As an animal rights activist, I’d like to point out that some things are “enough” for us. For example, things that don’t result in–or encourage–the abuse of animals tend to be enough. I am a big fan of Obama and personally don’t have a problem with the family adopting a dog who was technically homeless. I am not too happy, however, that they chose to get a purebred, and here’s why–
So I’m not thrilled about the purebred dog, right? But you know who is? The puppy mills you mentioned, who will be churning out Portuguese Waterdogs like nobody’s business to meet the incredible increased demand that a purchase like this will create. If you’ve ever volunteered in a shelter or fought puppy mills or anything, you’ll know that this sort of thing always results in a dramatic upturn in suffering canines. :(
(P.S.: I know that they wanted to get a hypoallergenic dog because of the daughters’ allergies, and I really sympathize because I have allergies to animals as well. But the fact is that there are repercussions to this kind of intensely public decision.)
oh my gosh NO ONE WILL EVER BE HAPPY, we get it! my gosh, people will ALWAYS have something to complain about. it’s obnoxious.
I see your point, and I think it’s very valid. But according to that logic then it wouldn’t matter what breed they got, even if it was from a shelter (plenty of purebreds there too!). ANY dog they got would have led to its rise in popularity, leading to more puppy mills.
So, basically, to avoid conflict they shouldn’t have gotten a dog at all. Which is pretty stupid.
Did anyone else notice that “Bo” are the initials of Barack Obama? coincidence?
A Portuguese breed in the White House, love it!
I do understand why the animal rights activists are irked. This is going to become a very popular breed of dog now, and if people are unable to find one in a shelter, they will go to a breeder. Doing this will give so many more animals that much less of a chance of actually becoming adopted, and instead being put to sleep.
I really wish that the Obama’s would have searched the shelters like they said they were going to. It’s disappointing and will contribute to the problem of the millions of animals that are put to sleep every year because people think that the only way that they can get a “good” animal is to go to a breeder. It’s really sad to me. I am a big proponent of adoption, and I wish more people would just go to their local shelter, instead of going to a pet store or a breeder.
seriously. If people are so stupid that they are actually swayed by what kind of dog the president gets, do you really want them adopting poor shelter dogs anyway? The worst kind of pet owner is one that gets a dog because of a fad.
Um…I’d prefer them adopting poor shelter dogs if the alternative is that they buy a puppy mill dog while shelter dog is put to sleep…….
I feel the same way about people popping out kids just b/c Angelina and Brad made it “cool.” Following trends is unfortunately what the majority of the population likes to do.
It’s sad that people would want that dog because of the white house…
Now thats what you call being under a microscope……. for petty sakes let them choose a dog they want as they will have it a long time. Time for People in this country to have some common sense…. Whats really important and its NOT a dog that a President gets…… No wonder we are going down the tubes……….. We as a nation need to get a clue……….C
I was betting on a maltese–they’re hypoallergenic and cuter, but I guess politics won out. Who turns down a dog from a Kennedy?
LOL….I read today that the White House did a POLL do to find out what kind of dog to get! A pooch for the people?…..hahaha
YAWN.
I think it’s sweet that they have a dog. All kids love puppies. Don’t over complicate it people! Remember when during his speech Obama told his girls that they were finally going to get their new pup? That brought tears to my eyes. Leave it be.
First line the MSNBC article on the dog “Who let the dogs out.” Kelly, you called it, as expected. Really MSNBC? Really? Ugh. The song is old. The phrase is overused. SO STOP! Get creative people. I know it’s a Monday morning and all, but I think they can do a little better than that.
I heard the Jesse Jackson has once again accused Pres. Obama of selling out — notice that the dog has some white on him.