HERE'S THE FIRST LOOK AT PRESIDENT
OBAMA'S NEW PORTUGUESE WATER DOG -
BO!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
After months of speculation, the 6-month-old Portuguese
Water Dog is the new first puppy, joining the Obama family in
the White House.
The curly-haired pup with tuxedo coloring is a gift from Sen.
Ted Kennedy, who picked up Bo from the same Texas breeder
he's used for his own pets, Amigo Portuguese Water Dogs of
Boyd, Texas.
According to the Washington Post, who first confirmed the
news Sunday, Bo has already impressed the Obamas with his
training, and eagerly followed the President around the room
during a secret introduction last week at the White House,
dubbed "The Meeting" by staffers.
As for the name the Post credits first daughters Malia, 10, and
Sasha, 7, with the familiar moniker. Their cousins have a cat
named Bo, and their grandfather - Michelle Obama's late dad -
was nicknamed Diddley, as in guitarist Bo Diddley. The dog also
passes the allergy test; Malia is allergic to most dogs.
Originally Bo is said to have lived with a family that decided
not to keep him, but animal rescue advocates had hoped the
Obamas would take in a stray. A CNN poll in December found
that Americans favored the family getting a rescue dog by 2-1.
However, the Post reports that the Obamas are making a
donation to the District of Columbia Humane Society.
The breeders, Amigo owners Martha and Art Stern, did not
return phone or email requests for an interview. Sue Wilcox-
Hall, who blogs about Portuguese Water Dogs, says the Amigo
kennel had a litter on Oct. 9, 2008, and all 10 pups were given
Obama-friendly names, many starting with Hope. Obama Dog
Blog says a pup formally named Change to Believe is rumored to
have become Bo. Both parents were screened and cleared for
eye and hip genetic disorders common to Portuguese Water
Dogs.
BREED: Portuguese water dog
DOG GROUP: Working
WEIGHT: 35 to 60 pounds
LIFESPAN: 8-15 years, varies
BREED: These dogs are very hearty and active. “They’re not
the kind of dog that you can leave at home and think it’s going
to lay by the fire all afternoon,” says Daisy Okas, a
spokesperson for the American Kennel Club. “It needs to be
with people and it needs to have activities.” Okas says the
dog is great with kids, especially because of their size. “They’
re medium sized, sort of at a child’s level,” she says.
FAMOUS PARENTS:
Ted Kennedy has three and wrote a book about one of them.
BRED FOR:
They were originally bred to help fisherman along Portugal’s
coast. “Swimming is one of their favorite pursuits,” says Okas.
“They really want to be with their owners and they want to
have a job.”
KEEP IN MIND:
They have a high activity level, so they’ll need daily exercise.
“Once they’re at their full-grown weight and height they can
be a great running companion or playmate,” says Okas. “In the
White House I’m sure that won’t be a problem. There’s going
to be people coming and going, there’s going to be activities,
hopefully traveling with the family.”
RESCUE GROUPS:
Portuguese Water Dog Club of America
TEMPERAMENT:
Portuguese water dogs tend to be very friendly, very affable
and they respond very well to obedience training, says Okas.
And, they don’t play favorites: “They will bond with all
members of the family. This is a dog that’s going to be friendly
pretty much with everybody,” she says.
OBAMA'S NEW PORTUGUESE WATER DOG -
BO!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
After months of speculation, the 6-month-old Portuguese
Water Dog is the new first puppy, joining the Obama family in
the White House.
The curly-haired pup with tuxedo coloring is a gift from Sen.
Ted Kennedy, who picked up Bo from the same Texas breeder
he's used for his own pets, Amigo Portuguese Water Dogs of
Boyd, Texas.
According to the Washington Post, who first confirmed the
news Sunday, Bo has already impressed the Obamas with his
training, and eagerly followed the President around the room
during a secret introduction last week at the White House,
dubbed "The Meeting" by staffers.
As for the name the Post credits first daughters Malia, 10, and
Sasha, 7, with the familiar moniker. Their cousins have a cat
named Bo, and their grandfather - Michelle Obama's late dad -
was nicknamed Diddley, as in guitarist Bo Diddley. The dog also
passes the allergy test; Malia is allergic to most dogs.
Originally Bo is said to have lived with a family that decided
not to keep him, but animal rescue advocates had hoped the
Obamas would take in a stray. A CNN poll in December found
that Americans favored the family getting a rescue dog by 2-1.
However, the Post reports that the Obamas are making a
donation to the District of Columbia Humane Society.
The breeders, Amigo owners Martha and Art Stern, did not
return phone or email requests for an interview. Sue Wilcox-
Hall, who blogs about Portuguese Water Dogs, says the Amigo
kennel had a litter on Oct. 9, 2008, and all 10 pups were given
Obama-friendly names, many starting with Hope. Obama Dog
Blog says a pup formally named Change to Believe is rumored to
have become Bo. Both parents were screened and cleared for
eye and hip genetic disorders common to Portuguese Water
Dogs.
BREED: Portuguese water dog
DOG GROUP: Working
WEIGHT: 35 to 60 pounds
LIFESPAN: 8-15 years, varies
BREED: These dogs are very hearty and active. “They’re not
the kind of dog that you can leave at home and think it’s going
to lay by the fire all afternoon,” says Daisy Okas, a
spokesperson for the American Kennel Club. “It needs to be
with people and it needs to have activities.” Okas says the
dog is great with kids, especially because of their size. “They’
re medium sized, sort of at a child’s level,” she says.
FAMOUS PARENTS:
Ted Kennedy has three and wrote a book about one of them.
BRED FOR:
They were originally bred to help fisherman along Portugal’s
coast. “Swimming is one of their favorite pursuits,” says Okas.
“They really want to be with their owners and they want to
have a job.”
KEEP IN MIND:
They have a high activity level, so they’ll need daily exercise.
“Once they’re at their full-grown weight and height they can
be a great running companion or playmate,” says Okas. “In the
White House I’m sure that won’t be a problem. There’s going
to be people coming and going, there’s going to be activities,
hopefully traveling with the family.”
RESCUE GROUPS:
Portuguese Water Dog Club of America
TEMPERAMENT:
Portuguese water dogs tend to be very friendly, very affable
and they respond very well to obedience training, says Okas.
And, they don’t play favorites: “They will bond with all
members of the family. This is a dog that’s going to be friendly
pretty much with everybody,” she says.
|
|
| President Obama's New Portuguese Water Dog - Bo! |
BO OBAMA -
THE PRESIDENT'S PORTUGUESE WATER DOG
April 13, 2009
Humor: First Interview With Bo, The New White House Puppy
Posted by Mark Knoller, CBS News White House correspondent
Bo, the new White House puppy, stayed indoors today, since there
were thousands of people on the South Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll.
He’s still getting acclimated to his new home, and agreed to take a
few questions in the family quarters of the White House.
Q. Let me start by asking you about your breeding, just what is a
Portuguese Water Dog.
A. I’m not really sure.
Q. Well, do you like the water?
A. Not crazy about it, no.
Q. Are there American water dogs?
A. Actually, I consider myself more American than Portuguese.
Q. So how did you come to be picked by the First Family. Was there
much of a vetting process?
A. Ted Kennedy had something to do with it, not really sure. But a
few weeks back the Obamas came by to visit. Most puppies know the
routine: look cute, jump up on your hind legs, play up to the kids and
put a look in your eye that says “pick me, pick me.”
Q. You are pretty cute. You look like one of those Ewoks from the
Star Wars movies.
A. I get that a lot. Not much I can do about it.
Q. How do you like the White House so far?
A. On first glance, it looks like a great home. Good food, lots of
attention. A big lawn out back. Haven’t found any fire hydrants yet,
but I’m still looking around.
Q. Did you get any advice about being the White House dog?
A. Over the weekend, I spoke to Barney, who had this job in the Bush
White House. He said he loved it here and really misses the place. He
also told me about some great places to hang out. He said to make
friends with the chefs, they’re always a soft-touch for an afternoon
snack.
Q. Any other advice?
A. Yeah, he said to make sure the First Family doesn’t get a second
dog. He said everything changed the day Mrs. Bush brought a new
puppy into the place, Miss Beazley. He said all of a sudden, Beazley
got all the hugging and cuddling, especially from the Bush daughters.
Q. Barney used to spend time in the Oval Office with President Bush.
Have you been there yet with President Obama.
A. Not yet. I’m not fully house-broken, so they’re limiting where I can
go.
Q. What do you think of the Obama daughters?
A. Cute kids. They’re really excited about me. I get to sleep in their
rooms.
Q. They named you Bo. How do you like it?
A. Well, I started out as Charlie. Bo is okay, just so long as they don’t
start calling me Bobo, Baby Bo, Bubala. You get the idea.
Q. In all the photographs of you over the weekend, you were wearing
a colorful lei? What was that about?
A. Look, I’m a puppy. I can’t control what people put on me to
enhance my cuteness. You try taking a lei off your neck without
benefit of opposable thumbs.
Q. Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
A. No problem.
Q. You know, a few weeks before Barney left the White House, he bit
a reporter’s finger.
A. Are you challenging me?
Q. Not at all, but you’re not so inclined are you?
A. Hey – when you’re surrounded by reporters and photographers,
and they’re grabbing at you, someone’s gonna get nipped. We’re
dogs, ya know.
Q. Well, thanks for speaking to me. Maybe we can do this again in a
few weeks.
A. Call my press secretary. She handles me.
THE PRESIDENT'S PORTUGUESE WATER DOG
April 13, 2009
Humor: First Interview With Bo, The New White House Puppy
Posted by Mark Knoller, CBS News White House correspondent
Bo, the new White House puppy, stayed indoors today, since there
were thousands of people on the South Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll.
He’s still getting acclimated to his new home, and agreed to take a
few questions in the family quarters of the White House.
Q. Let me start by asking you about your breeding, just what is a
Portuguese Water Dog.
A. I’m not really sure.
Q. Well, do you like the water?
A. Not crazy about it, no.
Q. Are there American water dogs?
A. Actually, I consider myself more American than Portuguese.
Q. So how did you come to be picked by the First Family. Was there
much of a vetting process?
A. Ted Kennedy had something to do with it, not really sure. But a
few weeks back the Obamas came by to visit. Most puppies know the
routine: look cute, jump up on your hind legs, play up to the kids and
put a look in your eye that says “pick me, pick me.”
Q. You are pretty cute. You look like one of those Ewoks from the
Star Wars movies.
A. I get that a lot. Not much I can do about it.
Q. How do you like the White House so far?
A. On first glance, it looks like a great home. Good food, lots of
attention. A big lawn out back. Haven’t found any fire hydrants yet,
but I’m still looking around.
Q. Did you get any advice about being the White House dog?
A. Over the weekend, I spoke to Barney, who had this job in the Bush
White House. He said he loved it here and really misses the place. He
also told me about some great places to hang out. He said to make
friends with the chefs, they’re always a soft-touch for an afternoon
snack.
Q. Any other advice?
A. Yeah, he said to make sure the First Family doesn’t get a second
dog. He said everything changed the day Mrs. Bush brought a new
puppy into the place, Miss Beazley. He said all of a sudden, Beazley
got all the hugging and cuddling, especially from the Bush daughters.
Q. Barney used to spend time in the Oval Office with President Bush.
Have you been there yet with President Obama.
A. Not yet. I’m not fully house-broken, so they’re limiting where I can
go.
Q. What do you think of the Obama daughters?
A. Cute kids. They’re really excited about me. I get to sleep in their
rooms.
Q. They named you Bo. How do you like it?
A. Well, I started out as Charlie. Bo is okay, just so long as they don’t
start calling me Bobo, Baby Bo, Bubala. You get the idea.
Q. In all the photographs of you over the weekend, you were wearing
a colorful lei? What was that about?
A. Look, I’m a puppy. I can’t control what people put on me to
enhance my cuteness. You try taking a lei off your neck without
benefit of opposable thumbs.
Q. Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
A. No problem.
Q. You know, a few weeks before Barney left the White House, he bit
a reporter’s finger.
A. Are you challenging me?
Q. Not at all, but you’re not so inclined are you?
A. Hey – when you’re surrounded by reporters and photographers,
and they’re grabbing at you, someone’s gonna get nipped. We’re
dogs, ya know.
Q. Well, thanks for speaking to me. Maybe we can do this again in a
few weeks.
A. Call my press secretary. She handles me.
PROMISES, PROMISES:
Is Obama dog a rescue or not?
April 13, 2009
By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – Is Bo a rescued dog or not? Did President Obama keep
or break a campaign promise in picking the purebred as the family's
new pet?
The twists and turns of the Portuguese water dog's route to the
White House make for the kind of intrigue that political junkies and
the highly opinionated dog world delight in.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said during the presidential
campaign that they had promised their two girls a dog after the
election.
The Obamas repeatedly said they wanted it to be a rescued dog such
as one from a shelter. Their search was complicated by daughter
Malia's allergies, which would rule out many of the "mutts" the
president has said he would prefer.
Enter Bo, a 6-month-old puppy given up by his first owner and
matched with the Obamas through his breeders. Because he was
given up by his first owner as a poor fit and is now with his second
owners, the Obamas, but never spent time in a shelter or with a
rescue group, Bo is a "quasi-rescue dog," says Wayne Pacelle, chief
executive of The Humane Society of the United States.
Here's where the intrigue comes in:
• Bo's breeders happen to have bred Sen. Edward Kennedy's
Portuguese water dogs. The Massachusetts Democrat, an Obama
friend and political ally, also acquired a pup from Bo's litter. Bo's
breeders are fans of Obama and named Bo's litter the Hope and
Change litter.
• Bo's first owner lives in Washington.
• Bo was returned to the breeder in early March, fitting the spring
timeline the Obamas had given for their dog adoption.
• Kennedy and his wife Victoria helped line Bo up with the Obamas.
Before moving into the White House, the pup spent nearly a month
with the Kennedys' dog trainer in Virginia.
In fact, Bo is a gift to the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, from
the Kennedys, said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for
Michelle Obama. The puppy officially arrives Tuesday.
"They were starting their search with shelter dogs, but when the
Kennedys learned of this dog and offered it as a gift to the girls, they
met the dog, it was a perfect fit for their lifestyle and for Malia's
health concerns," she said, adding that the Obamas are making a
donation to the Washington Humane Society. "Because this gift came
before their pound search sort of was completed, they made a gift to
some of the places they were looking."
Still, conspiracy buffs might speculate that Bo was meant for the
Obamas all along. Was his adoption engineered to look like a rescue —
or at least blur the line to head off criticism that the Obamas had
picked a purebred from a breeder?
The Humane Society's Pacelle acknowledged that the Obamas never
flat-out promised to get a dog from a pound or rescue group. And the
society has kind words for Obama on its Web site: "Thanks, Mr.
President, for giving a second-chance dog a forever home," it says.
"He's in a gray area," Pacelle said of Bo. "But I will say that many
animal advocates are disappointed that he (Obama) didn't go to a
shelter or breed rescue group, partly because he set that expectation
and because so many activists are focused on trying to reduce the
number of animals euthanized at shelters, and there's no better
person to make the case to the American public that you can get a
great dog from a shelter than the president."
The group later removed its congratulatory message and replaced it
with: "First Dog Unveiled. Concerns about impact on shelters, demand
for breed as Bo makes his debut."
Bo could be considered rescued, since he was removed from a
situation that wasn't working, said Cesar Millan, host of the National
Geographic Channel's "The Dog Whisperer" and co-founder with his
wife of a nonprofit foundation to help abused dogs.
To help Bo settle in, the Obamas should walk him a lot in the early
days to bond with him, drain his energy and make him hungry for his
meals, Millan said. That will give the dog a routine and help him see
that the family is the source of his food, and he has to work for it, he
said.
"The dog doesn't know he just moved in with the president of the
United States. The dog is going to say, `Who fulfilled my needs from
day one, so who should I trust from day one?'" Millan said.
Bo's breeder, Martha Stern of Boyd, Texas, said she doesn't consider
Bo a rescued dog. Owners of dogs from the kennel she and her
husband run must sign contracts requiring them to return the dogs to
the Sterns if they do not work out, she said. Bo went from his first
home, in Washington, to the Kennedys' trainer in Virginia, and now to
the White House, she said.
Portuguese water dogs aren't for everyone, Stern said. Known as
PWDs, they tend to be high-energy "in-your-face" dogs that need a
lot of attention, and their curly coats require a lot of maintenance,
she said.
Stern said the first family did a lot of research and already knew the
breed's pros and cons, and that Victoria Kennedy was closely
involved. Bo seemed like a good fit because the Obamas are an active
family and have the resources to give him the training and other
things he needs, Stern said.
"I wouldn't say he's excessively high in energy," she said, but still a
"little bit more than middle-of-the-road."
"On a scale of five, he's probably about three," Stern said.
The dog's non-shedding coat also makes him a good choice, given
Malia Obama's allergies.
Stern worries that puppy mills will try to capitalize on the Obamas'
dog choice and start churning out PWDs for an eager public. It's the
responsibility of good Portuguese water dog breeders to try to
prevent that, she said.
As for Bo, he has already been neutered, Mrs. Obama's spokeswoman
said.
Is Obama dog a rescue or not?
April 13, 2009
By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – Is Bo a rescued dog or not? Did President Obama keep
or break a campaign promise in picking the purebred as the family's
new pet?
The twists and turns of the Portuguese water dog's route to the
White House make for the kind of intrigue that political junkies and
the highly opinionated dog world delight in.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said during the presidential
campaign that they had promised their two girls a dog after the
election.
The Obamas repeatedly said they wanted it to be a rescued dog such
as one from a shelter. Their search was complicated by daughter
Malia's allergies, which would rule out many of the "mutts" the
president has said he would prefer.
Enter Bo, a 6-month-old puppy given up by his first owner and
matched with the Obamas through his breeders. Because he was
given up by his first owner as a poor fit and is now with his second
owners, the Obamas, but never spent time in a shelter or with a
rescue group, Bo is a "quasi-rescue dog," says Wayne Pacelle, chief
executive of The Humane Society of the United States.
Here's where the intrigue comes in:
• Bo's breeders happen to have bred Sen. Edward Kennedy's
Portuguese water dogs. The Massachusetts Democrat, an Obama
friend and political ally, also acquired a pup from Bo's litter. Bo's
breeders are fans of Obama and named Bo's litter the Hope and
Change litter.
• Bo's first owner lives in Washington.
• Bo was returned to the breeder in early March, fitting the spring
timeline the Obamas had given for their dog adoption.
• Kennedy and his wife Victoria helped line Bo up with the Obamas.
Before moving into the White House, the pup spent nearly a month
with the Kennedys' dog trainer in Virginia.
In fact, Bo is a gift to the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, from
the Kennedys, said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for
Michelle Obama. The puppy officially arrives Tuesday.
"They were starting their search with shelter dogs, but when the
Kennedys learned of this dog and offered it as a gift to the girls, they
met the dog, it was a perfect fit for their lifestyle and for Malia's
health concerns," she said, adding that the Obamas are making a
donation to the Washington Humane Society. "Because this gift came
before their pound search sort of was completed, they made a gift to
some of the places they were looking."
Still, conspiracy buffs might speculate that Bo was meant for the
Obamas all along. Was his adoption engineered to look like a rescue —
or at least blur the line to head off criticism that the Obamas had
picked a purebred from a breeder?
The Humane Society's Pacelle acknowledged that the Obamas never
flat-out promised to get a dog from a pound or rescue group. And the
society has kind words for Obama on its Web site: "Thanks, Mr.
President, for giving a second-chance dog a forever home," it says.
"He's in a gray area," Pacelle said of Bo. "But I will say that many
animal advocates are disappointed that he (Obama) didn't go to a
shelter or breed rescue group, partly because he set that expectation
and because so many activists are focused on trying to reduce the
number of animals euthanized at shelters, and there's no better
person to make the case to the American public that you can get a
great dog from a shelter than the president."
The group later removed its congratulatory message and replaced it
with: "First Dog Unveiled. Concerns about impact on shelters, demand
for breed as Bo makes his debut."
Bo could be considered rescued, since he was removed from a
situation that wasn't working, said Cesar Millan, host of the National
Geographic Channel's "The Dog Whisperer" and co-founder with his
wife of a nonprofit foundation to help abused dogs.
To help Bo settle in, the Obamas should walk him a lot in the early
days to bond with him, drain his energy and make him hungry for his
meals, Millan said. That will give the dog a routine and help him see
that the family is the source of his food, and he has to work for it, he
said.
"The dog doesn't know he just moved in with the president of the
United States. The dog is going to say, `Who fulfilled my needs from
day one, so who should I trust from day one?'" Millan said.
Bo's breeder, Martha Stern of Boyd, Texas, said she doesn't consider
Bo a rescued dog. Owners of dogs from the kennel she and her
husband run must sign contracts requiring them to return the dogs to
the Sterns if they do not work out, she said. Bo went from his first
home, in Washington, to the Kennedys' trainer in Virginia, and now to
the White House, she said.
Portuguese water dogs aren't for everyone, Stern said. Known as
PWDs, they tend to be high-energy "in-your-face" dogs that need a
lot of attention, and their curly coats require a lot of maintenance,
she said.
Stern said the first family did a lot of research and already knew the
breed's pros and cons, and that Victoria Kennedy was closely
involved. Bo seemed like a good fit because the Obamas are an active
family and have the resources to give him the training and other
things he needs, Stern said.
"I wouldn't say he's excessively high in energy," she said, but still a
"little bit more than middle-of-the-road."
"On a scale of five, he's probably about three," Stern said.
The dog's non-shedding coat also makes him a good choice, given
Malia Obama's allergies.
Stern worries that puppy mills will try to capitalize on the Obamas'
dog choice and start churning out PWDs for an eager public. It's the
responsibility of good Portuguese water dog breeders to try to
prevent that, she said.
As for Bo, he has already been neutered, Mrs. Obama's spokeswoman
said.
| Video of the Presidential Dogs over the years |
| VIDEO OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S NEW DOG BO! |
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