Bo (dog)
 Official White House portrait of the First Dog (May 2009) | |
| Other name(s) | First Dog of the United States[1][2][3] Charlie (by previous owner) |
|---|---|
| Species | Canis lupus familiaris |
| Breed | Portuguese Water Dog |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | Amigo's New Hope[4] October 9, 2008 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nation from | United States |
| Known for | Pet of the Obama family |
| Training | Dawn Sylvia (Hume, Virginia) Can sit, present paw/shake, lie down, roll over, get off, wait[5] |
| Predecessor | Barney |
| Owner | Obama family |
| Parent(s) | Dam: Penny (Amigo's Phor What Its Worth) (Boyd, Texas) Sire: Watson (Valkyrie's Dr. Watson Is Here) (Ambridge, Pennsylvania)[6] Breeder: Julie Parker[7] |
| Appearance | tuxedo/black and white |
| Named after | Obama girls' cousins' pet cat and also Bo Diddley |
Bo[8] (born October 9, 2008) is a pet dog of the Obama family, the former First Family of the United States.[2] Bo is a neutered[9] male Portuguese Water Dog.[2]
Barack Obama and his family were given the dog as a gift after months of speculation about the breed and identity of their future pet.[10] The final choice was made partly because Malia Obama's allergies made a hypoallergenic breed necessary.
Bo was occasionally given the title "First Dog of the United States of America".[1][2][3] In August 2013, Bo was joined by Sunny, a female dog of the same breed.[11]
Adoption[change | change source]
The Obamas originally wanted to adopt a dog from an animal shelter, but made no promises.[12] 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.[13]
Bo is a gift through a breeder and is not a shelter dog. Dog expert Cesar Milan said Bo was part of a larger group known as "rescue dogs". He was unsuccessful in his first home when plans for him to be friends with an older female dog did not go well.[14] The Obamas pledged a donation to the DC Humane Society in a show of support for shelter dogs.
Some animal welfare supporters criticized The White House for not adopting a shelter dog.[13] The Humane Society of the United States released a statement thanking the Obamas "for taking in a second-chance dog," but also discouraged going through breeders.[15]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dave, By (April 20, 2009). "Vigilant press spots Bo, the first dog, out for a walk | csmonitor.com". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The White House – Blog Post – Meet Bo, the First Dog". Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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.
- ↑ Silva, Mark (April 12, 2009). "Obamas' dog Bo: 'Amigo's New Hope'". Swamppolitics.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Obama Dog Trainer: Bo Already "Sits, Shakes, Rolls Over"". Us Weekly. April 15, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ↑ "The Obama Dog Blog: Cappy's Breeder Rejects Obama Dog Connection". Dreamdogsart.typepad.com. April 15, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ Sostek, Anya (April 14, 2009). "First dog's father from Ambridge". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Bo Obama gets a playmate! Obamas adopt another dog". Retrieved January 21, 2017.
- ↑ Hess, Amanda (April 13, 2009). "PETA Encourages Obamas to Neuter Neutered Dog". nbcwashington.com. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
- ↑ "World | Obama family 'picks first puppy'". BBC News. April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ Feldmann, Lindie. "New little girl arrives at White House. Meet Sunny Obama. (+video)". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ↑ Greene, Nick (April 15, 2009). "Obama's criticized for breaking promise of adopting dog from shelter". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Obama's will adopt, rather than buy, a dog". San Jose Mercury News. 11 May 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
- ↑ Visitant, Carol (April 16, 2009). "5 Things You Don't Know About First Dog Bo – Barack Obama". People. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
- ↑ "The HSUS Congratulates First Family on New White House Dog". Humane Society of the United States. April 12, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bo (dog). |
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Barney George W. Bush's Scottish Terrier |
White House pet dog April 14, 2009–January 20, 2017 Served alongside: Sunny |
Succeeded by Vacant |
