While we were working on this issue of Dog World, President Barack Obama announced a new addition to the first family. Upon winning the presidential election, he promised his daughters Sasha and Malia a puppy. Dog lovers around the country had been waiting for this moment. Was the president going to purchase a purebred or adopt a shelter mutt?
As it turned out, the Obamas acquired a 6-month-old Portuguese Water Dog, Amigo’s New Hope (Bo to his friends), as a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns three Porties.
Quickly, opinions began to fly. Purebred aficionados praised the Obamas for doing their research and taking home a responsibly bred dog. Some shelter advocates chastised the president for going back on a supposed pledge to adopt a rescue dog. Others said Bo was technically a rescue dog because his first owner returned him to the breeder.
Whatever the case, I couldn’t be happier about the first family’s decision to have a purebred dog in the White House. The Obamas took all the right steps on their quest for a dog that would meet their individual needs, including Malia’s allergies.
As the new “first dog,” Bo probably feels like the luckiest pup in the country.