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;Cultural references
;Cultural references
* The children's book ''Bo, America's Commander in Leash'' ([[ISBN]] 1-934878-70-7) was scheduled for release in April 23, 2009.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5167659/Bo-Obama-to-star-in-childrens-book.html</ref><ref>http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-quick17-2009apr17,0,5870687.story</ref><ref>http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=404357&affid=100055</ref><ref>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-dog-bookapr19,0,3274869.story</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/books/16arts-FIRSTDOGGETS_BRF.html?em</ref><ref>http://www.bild.de/BILD/ratgeber/haustier/2009/04/bo-obama-kinderbuch/first-dog-america-s-commander-in-leash.html</ref>
* Immediately upon the First Family's of acquisition of Bo, a number of [[children's books]] that featured Bo became slated for [[publication]]. For example, ''Bo, America's Commander in Leash'' ([[ISBN]] 1-934878-70-7) was scheduled for release in April 23, 2009,<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5167659/Bo-Obama-to-star-in-childrens-book.html</ref><ref>http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-quick17-2009apr17,0,5870687.story</ref><ref>http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=404357&affid=100055</ref><ref>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-dog-bookapr19,0,3274869.story</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/books/16arts-FIRSTDOGGETS_BRF.html?em</ref><ref>http://www.bild.de/BILD/ratgeber/haustier/2009/04/bo-obama-kinderbuch/first-dog-america-s-commander-in-leash.html</ref> and on this title's heels, ''Now Hiring: White House Dog.''<ref>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-dog-bookapr19,0,3274869.story</ref><ref>http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6639821.html?industryid=47152</ref><ref>http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2009/New-Books/</ref>


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 13:12, 19 April 2009

Bo
A photo of Bo from the White House Blog
Other name(s)Charlie (by previous owner)
SpeciesCanis familiaris
subsp. aquaticus
BreedPortuguese Water Dog
Sexneutered male
Nation fromUnited States
Known forbeing "First Dog"[1]
(i.e. pet of the First Family)
Trainingsit, present paw/shake, lie down, roll over, get off, wait[2]
PredecessorBarney Bush[3]
Ownerthe Obama Family
Parent(s)Penny
(Amigo's Phor What Its Worth)
Boyd, Texas
Watson
(Valkyrie's Dr. Watson Is Here)
Ambridge, Pennsylvania[4]
Appearancetuxedo/black and white
Named afterObama girls' cousins' pet cat
and also Bo Diddley
"Meet Bo, the First Dog"

Bo (born October 9, 2008) is the current pet of the Obama family, the First Family of the United States,[6] and is a neutered[7] male Portuguese Water Dog, or Portie.[8] President Barack Obama and his family chose the dog after months of speculation about the breed and identity of the animal.[9] The final choice was made in part because Malia Obama's allergies dictated a need for a hypoallergenic breed, although no hypoallergenic breed is 100% safe for allergics.[10]

Breed background

Main article: Portuguese Water Dog

The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed; 48 entrants for Portuguese Water Dogs were made to England's Crufts competition in 2009[11] and the author of The New Complete Portuguese Water Dog, Kitty Braund, believes number of Porties in North America to be about 50,000.[12] Although some breeders claim they are a hypoallergenic dog breed, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim.[10]

Breeding and original owners

The Obamas with Bo

Bred by Art and Martha Stern of Boyd, Texas, one of Bo's nine other siblings is Senator Ted Kennedy's Portie named Cappy (Amigo's Captain Courageous); the litter was named "Hope and Change" in honor of Obama's victory.[13][14][15][16] Bo was purchased by someone (a person unknown to the public) from the breeders, but eventually the new owner returned him to the Stern family; when buying the dog, the original purchaser had signed a contract requiring him to return the dog to the breeder if things did not work out. Bo was enrolled on January 5, 2009 with Kennedy's obedience trainer Dawn Sylvia in Hume, Virginia.

Media attention as Obamas consider a "First Dog"

At his first press conference as President-elect, Obama was questioned by reporters about which breed the family was looking to acquire; he replied, "our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."[17] He also noted "Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic"[18]

In response to a question his daughters pressed George Stephanopolous in early January to ask of their father on air, Obama said "They seem to have narrowed it down to a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound ... medium-sized dog, and so, we're now going to start looking at shelters to see when one of those dogs might come up."[19] Much was made by the public and press about the family's search for a dog. On April 12, 2009, it was announced that the Obamas would soon accept a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog puppy as a gift from Senator Kennedy. The animal first arrived at the White House on Tuesday, April 14, 2009;[20][21][22][23] immediately after he arrived, the family staged a photo op with Bo on the property's South Lawn.[24] At the conference, Obama was asked if he would allow Bo inside the Oval Office, to which he responded: "of course."[24] He also gave a nod to President Harry Truman's famous quote, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."[24]

Name

Listed by the name Amigo's New Hope with American Kennel Club's breed registry[25] and given the name Charlie by his original owners,[26] the puppy received his current name from President Obama's two daughters, Malia and Sasha, in part after their cousins' cat and Michelle Obama's father's nickname Diddley, the dog is a namesake of deceased singer Bo Diddley.[23]

The Obamas walking with Bo.

Disputed rescue heritage

The Obama family originally seemed to emphasize their desire for an adopted shelter dog, but made no firm commitments.[27] In the summer of 2008, Best Friends Animal Society, an animal welfare organization, gathered 50,000 signatures on a petition asking the family to adopt a shelter animal.[28]

As Bo is a gift from the Kennedy family, he is not a shelter dog. Some dog experts such as Cesar Millan state that Bo could be considered part of a larger group known as "rescue" dogs, as he was unsuccessful in his first home, when plans for him to provide companionship to an older female dog there went awry because he irritated the dog through attempts to suckle.[29][30] The Obamas have pledged to donate to the District of Columbia Humane Society to show their support for shelter dogs.[31]

Some criticism has arisen from animal welfare supporters because Bo was not obtained from a shelter.[28] The Humane Society of the United States released a statement on their website thanking the Obamas "for taking in a second-chance dog," but also encouraged the public to avoid adopting from breeders.[32] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a statement calling the family's choice to take in a non-shelter dog "disquieting," but praised him for donating to the Humane Society.[33]

Public reaction

In anticipation of increased interest in the breed, the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America issued a statement requesting that members of the public considering obtaining the dogs "ensure that this breed fits their lifestyle," advising that Porties' needs preclude their being left alone for long periods or boarded in kennels.[34] PETA called for Bo to be neutered, unaware that the surgery had already been completed.[7]

Cultural references
  • Immediately upon the First Family's of acquisition of Bo, a number of children's books that featured Bo became slated for publication. For example, Bo, America's Commander in Leash (ISBN 1-934878-70-7) was scheduled for release in April 23, 2009,[35][36][37][38][39][40] and on this title's heels, Now Hiring: White House Dog.[41][42][43]

References

  1. ^ Cooper, Helen (April 12, 2009). "One Obama Search Ends With a Puppy Named Bo". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2009. Other Web sites, which have been tracking the saga of the selection of the first dog, were in a frenzy over the weekend.
  2. ^ http://www.usmagazine.com/news/obama-trainer-bo-already-sits-shakes-rolls-over-2009144
  3. ^ http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/ask/barney.asp
  4. ^ http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/the_obamas_dog/2009/04/cappys-breeder-rejects-obama-dog-connection.html
  5. ^ "New Obama puppy Bo knows Texas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  6. ^ "Meet Bo, the First Dog". whitehouse.gov. 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2009-04-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b Hess, Amanda (2009-04-13). "PETA Encourages Obamas to Neuter Neutered Dog". nbcwashington.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  8. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/12/Meet-Bo-the-First-Dog/
  9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7995570.stm
  10. ^ a b "Hypoallergenic Dogs". vetinfo.com. 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ "PORTUGUESE WATER DOG". Crufts. 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=eb38a8c3-9ef9-40c2-bda1-3d87c1a6d9ad&k=17132&p=2
  13. ^ http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97HQQP00&show_article=1
  14. ^ "Want to know more about Bo Obama, Portuguese Water Dog, First Pup? His breeder tells his backstory". examiner.com. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  15. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30188436/
  16. ^ http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/2009/04/bo_obama_dog.html
  17. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/11/chewing_over_ob.html
  18. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/11/chewing_over_ob.html
  19. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/11/obama-finding-puppy-tough_n_156914.html
  20. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090413/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_dog
  21. ^ http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/detail.jsp?key=373623&rc=to&p=1&all=1
  22. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30188436/
  23. ^ a b PopWatch Blog: The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash
  24. ^ a b c Huffington Post article: "Up Close and Personal with Bo Obama".
  25. ^ Saul, Michael (2009-04-12). "First photos of First Dog: Obamas meet Bo, their new Portuguese Water Dog". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  26. ^ St. Clair, Stacy (2009-04-13). "Obamas' dog: Meet Bo, the Portuguese water dog". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  27. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5154973/Obamas-criticised-for-breaking-promise-of-adopting-dog-from-shelter.html
  28. ^ a b Los Angeles Times article: "Bo is no political animal".
  29. ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20272856,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
  30. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090413/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_dog
  31. ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.dog13apr13,0,304629.story
  32. ^ "Second-Chance Dog Heads to the White House" (press release). Humane Society of the United States.
  33. ^ "PETA urges Obama to snip Bo the first dog." U.S. News & World Report.
  34. ^ http://www.akc.org/poll/special/PWDCARelease.pdf
  35. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5167659/Bo-Obama-to-star-in-childrens-book.html
  36. ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-quick17-2009apr17,0,5870687.story
  37. ^ http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=404357&affid=100055
  38. ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-dog-bookapr19,0,3274869.story
  39. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/books/16arts-FIRSTDOGGETS_BRF.html?em
  40. ^ http://www.bild.de/BILD/ratgeber/haustier/2009/04/bo-obama-kinderbuch/first-dog-america-s-commander-in-leash.html
  41. ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-dog-bookapr19,0,3274869.story
  42. ^ http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6639821.html?industryid=47152
  43. ^ http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2009/New-Books/
Preceded by White House pet dog
Incumbent 		Succeeded by
—
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