Saturday
Apr112009
Puppy O Update
Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 11:25 AM 
Photo credit: Pete Souza / The White House
Welcome First Puppy Bo! Love the lei, little guy. Arriving in style -- you've charmed us already. Get the full scoop on Bo's arrival at the Washington Post. After much speculation, nearly as much as Mrs. O's Inaugural Ball gown, little Bo proves to be a Portuguese Water Dog. (...So Mrs. O really did mean "soon!")
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Outfits
Reader Comments (64)
I don't care for dogs but BO is super cute
PWDlover: Thanks for sharing that very useful bit of information regarding allergies and sourcing dogs - really good information...
Alisa: I too share your concern regarding trend prone surges in demand for the dog de jour...
The Obama's have been extremely responsible in navigating this as carefully as possible;
Now if only we can get the media to follow suit and not over hype this breed as they did with dalmatians, chihuahua's, puggles etc...puppy mills flourished and most were sadly abandoned eventually at shelters when the trend passed...
Many responsible breeders have in their contracts that if for any reason a dog doesn't work out, it must be returned to the breeder and not put in a shelter or rescue. It shows the breeder is a responsible breeder and cares for their dogs. The contract I signed for my rescued mutt had a clause in it that if for any reason I could not keep him I had to return him to the rescue lady, not place him in a shelter.
So while not from a rescue or shelter, Bo is a "re-homed" dog. And he is a gift from Ted Kennedy, and of the same lineage as Ted's three dogs. You can't place demands on a gift. (The Obamas will make a donation to a local shelter)
You're never quite sure what you're getting with a rescue or shelter dog. With this PWD they know exactly what to expect. This is important for the girls. I was told my Ramses was a terrier/lab mix. Turns out he's...mostly Afghan Hound and Boston Terrier (which is not a true terrier). He also has parts of: Keeshond, Weimeraner, Scottish Terrier, Dalmation and Chihuahua. Not a drop of lab in him. I had a DNA test done on him. Personally, I think shelters and rescues should DNA test all of their dogs so people do know what they're getting. It's important for the dog's health as well as the owners.
I think it was wise of the Obamas to pass on a Labradoodle or other mix because as they grow older you never know which traits are going to dominate.
I think the Obamas would have been happy with a standard poodle as long as it wasn't in a girly-dog show cut. It would look almost like a PWD. And standards are big dogs. Working group. They've run the Iditarod.
Bo is so politically correct! I love it. His fashion sense is perfect. :-)
@ mlaiuppa Poodles are water retrievers, actually and they're in the Non-Sporting group.
I agree that the Obamas made a very wise choice in the PWD and also that a standard poodle would have been a good choice.
My heart goes out to Charlie. Look how lovingly he is looking up to the Prez and Sasha. Torn away from the family he knew, how perplexed the poor little darling must be in his new surroundings with so many new faces! I hope the Os give him all the love he needs always and never abandon him. Dogs...I love them.
sorry, spelling mistake ;) That should read Bo and not Charlie.
more on Bo
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/
New photo of The President and Bo running down a hall together:
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/74319/original.jpg
To anyone that is wondering why the Obamas couldn't find a Portie at a rescue shelter...
From ABC news:
"In the 1970s, Portuguese water dogs were nearly extinct, with only 25 left in the world. But they have since made a comeback. "
I'm glad the Obama family decided to get a puppy (instead of an older dog). I think a puppy is better for their children. I'm satisfied with their offer to donate money to an animal shelter in lieu of getting a shelter dog. That's a reasonable compromise. Bo is a real cutie!
darling, adorable dog...love his eyes, his black-and white look, his expression...
btw the animal rescue site has an online store with some very nice stuff for dogs and dog lovers - and you can support animal rescue by just visiting/clicking on the site
Beautiful, beautiful, sweet little dog!!! What a great addition to the family. He looked very poised didn't he? Not bothered at all! Bless. (LOVED the lei...)
I'm sad that the Obama's didn't go for a rescue dog - overnight they would probably have emptied all rescue centres. But I appreciate the allergy issue. I have a Westie because I'm allergic to dog dander, so I do appreciate the problem.
Well, I guess some of those lovely, tolerant and forgiving comments were directed at me, seeing as I have been quite vocal about Sarah Brown's appalling dress sense recently. I'm not going to apologise for it - the lady is in the public eye and needs to dress accordingly. If she doesn't care about clothes, then she won't be worrying about what is said about her.
I refuse to accept that being a great and caring mum is an excuse for looking dreadful. I have a neighbour who is sole carer for her extremely mentally and physically handicapped daughter - that woman is NEVER less than immaculate.
Mrs Brown chooses to be in the public eye. She could choose to never accompany Gordon to anything and to not get involved with any charities and to live a totally private life, but she doesn't. Therefore, if she's going to BE a public presence, then she IS an ambassador for Britain and she is seriously letting the side down. There is no excuse for any female in a city with shops in, to look THAT bad. We have great designers, we have Trinny and Susannah. End of. (If I can find Magic Knickers for £6, then so can Sarah...)
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