Obama Puppy A Portugese Water Dog Named "Bo"

The AP reports on the Obama's new dog, Bo:

Bo? No jest.

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.

Comments

[communitarian]

OMG, I can't believe I'm participating in this discussion, but here goes: Many of us like to adopt from shelters. Good for us for saving an animal or two or three. Others like purebreds or unusual mixes; that's their business. When did people stop having the right to make their own pet choices? Who in the world are we to attempt to make the Obama's choice of pet a moral category? The dog dramedy is a light touch during heavy political times. It doesn't make Obama a liar who owes us an apology; it won't make the girls selfish, privileged creatures who won't be raised right all because their new dog didn't come from a shelter.

Ted Kennedy, a dog-lover himself, gave Bo as a gift. What a wonderful gesture! Although not all of us agree with Kennedy's politics, can we at least agree that this dog is a wonderful gift? Ted Kennedy's health is delicate, and his providing a dog for the Obama family could even be considered a legacy that will last beyond his own life. Please, let's get lives of our own and leave this family alone! We don't own them, and they're not evil people because their choices (not to mention their gracious acceptance of a well-thought gift) don't mesh with ours.

[tisfilm]

I found out that Charlie (BO) had been fourth home before Obama took him.
I guess Bo is rescue dog!!

[Beachrunner]

Too funny!

Remember the Portugese Water Dog in Ted Kennedy's children's book, "My Senator and Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington?"

The dog in the book is named. . . . and I'm not making this up . . . .

SPLASH

[Pegi]

what a cutie pie! good luck Obama family with your new member!

[ILOVEBUSH08]

CATS RULE AND DOGS DROOL!!!

[hortonhearsawho2]

bluecatsrc­ool...nore­dcats.

[mairs]

Didn't you know? Only Republicans can have purebred dogs and get away with it. Ask Bush about his Scottie and how many people were outraged. None maybe? Or maybe African Americans can only have shelter dogs. Is that it?

[ALilCommonSense]

Oh, please, not the race card again. The disappointment has nothing to do with the President's ethnicity nor his political affiliation. It has to do with the proclamation by the first family that they were going to adopt a rescue dog and all of the (positive-­publicity) headlines that turned out to be untrue such as: "Obamas to Adopt a Rescue Dog, Michelle Obama Announces."

It, more importantly, has to do with the fact that if the Obamas had not changed their mind about adopting a rescue dog, this would surely have set a trend for others to follow suit and surely would have influenced many others to adopt, thereby saving the lives of a great many shelter animals in the process. It was about so much more than this one dog.

[IslandGyal]

Michelle Obama never said definitively that they were going to get a rescue dog. It was an option being considered. BO had a previous owner, who retuned him after calling him Charlie, so technically, he's rescue dog. Don't blame the headlines of a hyper media on the Obamas. And, so what about the positive headlines about rescue dogs; I am sure a lots of dogs benefited. But, nah, let’s just chalk this up to your narrative that President Obama reneged on yet another promise to the American people, that sounds so much better.

[hortonhearsawho2]

international law dog review or what?

[UnstickStupid]

I'm hoping this is a joke and that no one could seriously believe that people are upset that the first family changed their mind about rescuing a dog because of the President's race(s) or because he's a Democrat. And lest we forget, the last I checked, the parent who gave birth to the President and the person who raised the President was Caucasian.

[hortonhearsawho2]

ur puppy peed on the carpet and ur, well, barking out loud, its cool...

[rolldice]

every year millions of dogs are put to death in animal shelters and it didn't occur to them what kind of message this would send to the american people? it's completely bogus that dogs suitable for people with allergies (like the one we rescued) are hard to find in shelters. i would have expected better from the obamas and i wish people would wake up and realize the extent of the problem instead of being callous towards living creatures and treating animals like luxury goods.

[Opygollopy]

Its their first dog. They looked in shelters, made a big donation & then accepted the gift from Ted Kennedy. Give it a rest. They have the right to pick the dog the girls want. Let them enjoy their first dog ever. It doesnt matter if it came from the moon, the girls are loving it.

Find something else to complain about for God Sake. Happy Easter.

[gracie99]

There are all sort of EXCUSES for getting purchased, non-rescue puppies...

...at least one for all the many people who think THEY MUST have a breed puppy, can't have an older dog, etc. It all boils down to self-indulgence and vanity and selfishness -- not attractive traits.

(A co-worker who professes to "love" dogs told me a few weeks ago that she always adopts her puppies pre-6 weeks because "I can't resist: They're just so cute then!" More selfishness, depriving the poor little puppy of much-needed time with it's mother so she can have the fun of having a very tiny puppy for a few weeks. And she buys breed pups to boot. Is that loving dogs? I don't get it!)

[Tyrione]

``Every year millions of humans die while living in poverty. It's completely bogus that he didn't adopt a human!''

Do your part, adopt your city residential limit and encourage others.

[mairs]

You don't seem to understand the difference between good breeders and puppy mills. Time for some Google work for you.

[hortonhearsawho2]

ur folks made u get the chuihuhua, didn't they...

[Pegi]

the Obamas got the right dog for their family, a very personal decision. so mind your own business why don't you!

[Adagio]

Something tells me Obama forgot to run that name past Joe Biden. I know it's spelled differently than Joe's son's name, but I still wonder how he reacted when he heard about Bo.

[hortonhearsawho2]

e-mail and ask...

[zull2]

Oh, I can almost predict what's going to be posted next on Huffpo... "Angry Middle East and Chinese leaders furious that President Obama gives his daughters a puppy when they feel their problems must consume the entirety of his attention".

I think I read the preview of that a couple months ago, because the media knows people enjoy a story involving puppies when everyone already knows things are bad, some asinine guy with more power and a bigger soapbox than he deserves complained that the only thing Obama was concerned with was getting a puppy for his daughters. Learning to understand other cultures goes both ways, but saying something like that mostly falls on deaf ears, especially if it's an oil magnate who had to sell one of his yachts because people started driving hybrids and he felt he needed to complain about a guy giving his daughters a puppy.

[Texas4Obama]

Obama only said that he 'preferred' to get a shelter dog.
That option did not work out and he went with his second option.

Congrats Bo! I know you will love your new home and will be loved by all at the White House.

[gracie99]

They could have had ANY SHELTER DOG IN THIS COUNTRY. I'm sure the staff of many shelters were searching for the pick of the whole national shelter litter for them. How could that "not work out"?

[mairs]

Go ahead, scream your head off. No one's listening.

[IslandGyal]

gracie99,
We know, that you have inside information, with verifiable sources, that there was a hypoallergenic dog in a shelter somewhere in the world, that Malia & Sasha could love, but they rejected that dog to get a breed that would piss you off - no way - yes way! WOW, the lengths that people will go to disappoint gracie99.

[hortonhearsawho2]

ur into pet snakes, ehh tootse...

[Pegi]

if this is so important to you, why didn't YOU pick out and send them a dog? shut TF up already.

[seattlepeacenik]

Our President Obama has created then dumped the opportunity to provide the positive example of adopting a rescued dog. Somewhere in the world today, as with everyday, a good dog will be euthanized simply for the lack of able adopters stepping forward to provide a home. Breeders may rejoice as business will pick up, while shelter workers and the dogs and cats in their care face another day.

[Texas4Obama]

This is Malia and Sasha's first dog and they have the right to have whatever dog they want. We the American People need to keep our noses out of their family business.
Malia has allergies and Portuguese Water Dog are very very rare in a shelter - besides the Obama's did not get the dog from a 'puppy mill' they got it from a reputable breeder that has had dogs win ribbons in dog shows.
The Obama Family has made a large donation to the local rescue shelter.

Do YOU want someone telling YOU what dog you can and cannot have?

I am soooo happy for the girls that they got the puppy that THEY wanted!

[gracie99]

What a way to raise kids! "Oh you deserve anything you want even if that harms shelter animals, even if some die for that." Geez!

(Dander allergies are a highly treatable condition. I know people who did the shots and recovered.)

[darkwingduck]

I don't recall Bush Sr., Clinton, or W. adopting from shelters. Leave the Obamas alone.

[gracie99]

Don't know how/where the Clintons got Socks, but he certainly look like cat ordinaire, not a purebred purchased cat.

[mairs]

So when did you shame Bush for his Scottie? What was that? Never?

[ALilCommonSense]

You say, "Somewhere in the world today, as with everyday, a good dog will be euthanized." It would actually be a dream come true if that statement were the case, but the reality is that millions of dogs and cats die in U.S. shelters each and every year.

[hortonhearsawho2]

u sound like u were created and dumped...hows that working out.

[Matt Wilstein]

Brit Hume is already insulting Bo this morning on Fox News Sunday. The video's here:
http://gotchamedia.blogspot.com/2009/04/brit-hume-already-not-fan-of-bo-first.html

[Opygollopy]

Hume is an i d i o t. That "girly little dog" is soon gonna be a 50 lb "Im gonna eat Brit Hume for Breakfast" dog. These people are soooo pathetic. Its a dog for two little girls. Why cant they just say something like its cute or good luck. Nope. They have to criticize. Dipsticks.