Mr Obama’s daughters chose the name Bo because first lady Michelle Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley, the newspaper reported.
I thought I read somewhere that she had a dog (previously) named Bo. No cite.
He looks ridiculous in that plastic lei he’s wearing in the OP’s link. I’m guessing that was the girls’ doing?
Hey, the White House has had cats in the past, and don’t try to tell me that cats are easy to train. 
I never really expected him to get a shelter animal, because I think the bottom line is that many wealthy people consider shelter animals beneath them…but it would have been nice if they had. If I were in the public eye, I’d make a point of doing it because I feel very strongly about animal overpopulation.
Oh come on! With all we know about the Obamas and how down-to-earth they are, you suggest that because they’re wealthy they’d consider a rescue animal “beneath them”?? That’s just ridiculous.
Here’s a story in the Washington Post about Bo’s beginnings. (In case someone doesn’t want to register, here’s part of the article quoted). Bo is a brother to Sen. Kennedy’s dog Cappy. Bo, then called Charlie, went to a woman who had an older PWD and the little pup was too much for the older one to handle, so she gave it back to the breeder. Kennedy’s wife then suggested Charlie for the Obama family. Kennedy agreed, the breeder agreed, and after a meeting with the family, Charlie agreed. No, wait, the Obamas agreed, but Charlie seemed pretty happy too. The girls renamed him Bo and he was sent off to be trained.
I think we all wanted to see a rescue dog go to the White House, but most people realize that there are special considerations for a White House dog, plus it was a gift from an old man who probably won’t be around a whole lot longer. The Obamas have brought attention to rescue dogs anyway (as well as donating to the local shelter). I don’t think they’re hypocrites and I certainly don’t think that the Obamas would believe a shelter dog would be “beneath them.” The mind boggles that that would even occur to anyone who’s been paying the least little bit of attention to who the Obama family are.
Uh oh, Bo’s poppa has the silly butt cut.
There’s Portie people, and hardcore Portie people - the breeders and those into water competition. Regular Portie people get the regular or “retriever” cut. The breeders and water competition crowd favor the lion cut.
That’s good to know elmwood, thanks!
Here’s some news report and official video of Bo’s official unveiling today. I can’t tell if he has a buttcut, but he does have a weirdly shorn tail. Ah well, he’s still cute. In the second video from whitehouse.gov, near the end, there’s some nice video of the White House Grounds. Bo has a lot of room to run in, if they take him off his leash, which I don’t know if they will.
meh. looks like the kind of dog my grandmother would have. i mush prefer my brother’s dog (hairy dachshund) and joel mchale’s (some kind of dark colors chihuahua?)
Bo has the retriever cut. The tail is typical on most PWDs; it’s called a “flag”. Bo does have the typical PWD smile, and he desperately wanted to meet the reporters; PWDs are just that way.
I hope Bo is take off-leash. I think there’s some exaggeration about the energy level of a PWD – one of mine has been incredibly mellow since puppyhood, although the other is 10 years old and still extremely active – but they do need their exercise, and require mental stimulation that goes beyond playing catch. These dogs are smart. My mellow female PWD quickly learned how to reverse retrieve; hide a toy in the house while she does a sit/stay, release her, and she finds and comes back with the toy.
That’s adorable elmwood! In the pictures you posted above, Baily is the mellow one?
Here are a lot of great pictures from the photo op. To see how some of those pictures were taken, there is a raw video on C-Span (11 minutes) of the photo op. It’s featured now, but if it’s replaced as the feature video, look for “First Family Introduces “Bo” the First Dog.”
Even though it’s raw video, it’s kinda fascinating in an odd way, to for one, see how the camera operators and photographers run around with their stepstools to get the best view, and for another, when something interesting happens (such as near the end when President Obama is running with Bo, or after that, when Malia is running with Bo, you hear what sounds like thousands of camera clicks from the photographers, everybody trying for the best pictures. From the above thread, they got 'em too. Bo didn’t seem phased at all by the camera clicking noises when he was up close so maybe that was part of his training.
Can you imagine living with that kind of noise, the constantly clicking cameras, everywhere you go in public? I’d think it would drive a person (or a dog) crazy. I know the Obamas are used to it by now (though I’m not sure about Sasha, sometimes she acts like she hates the attention), but it’s still gotta be so strange.
Bo’s legs and feet are so interesting. It’s like the paws don’t exist, that his legs end in a flat stump. I’ve never seen a dog like that, but I grew up with collies and cocker spaniels and my beloved chickenese Peanuts, all with very well-defined/separated legs and paws.
I like the looks of him, except for the weird tail-end clump of fur.
It does make the dog look like he’s half-Swiffer.
I remember reading a comment somewhere that Queen Elizabeth must think the entire world outside her homes smells like fresh paint, because everywhere she visits, they always spruce the place up and apply a fresh coat of paint. That has got to get old.
PWD fans have mixed feelings about all the attention Bo is getting: Water dogs should come with warnings - CNN.com
Ha, crazy Bo!
Michelle Obama: Bo Is A “Crazy” Dog
Kids get dog. Dad bonds with dog. Mom takes care of and trains dog. Yep, they’re a normal all-American family!
Picture of Bo waiting for Dad (scroll down).
Cute cover of the New Yorker this week.