"He's a good-lookin' dog-let's face it!"-Barack Obama "He can't swin!"-Sasha Obama

They just showed the family with their new dog Bo. They let us listen in. Malia said she loves him-he's perfect. Good stuff.

First lady Michelle Obama holds Bo, on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, April 14, 2009, as they show him off to the media. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)


President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama show off their new dog Bo, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, with daughters Malia, right, and Sasha Obama, center, at the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)


President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, right, walk with their 6-month-old Portuguese water dog Bo on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Malia, second from right, and Sasha Obama, walk with their 6-month-old Portuguese water dog Bo on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


Malia Obama walks with new dog Bo, followed by President Barack Obama, Sasha Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


First lady Michelle Obama walks with their 6-month-old Portuguese water dog Bo as President Barack Obama and daughter Sasha follows at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


.S. President Barack Obama presents the first family's new Portuguese Water Dog puppy, Bo, on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington April 14, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES POLITICS ANIMALS SOCIETY IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)


Malia Obama runs with the new family dog Bo as they introduce him to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)


President Barack Obama watches as Malia shows off their new dog Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, April 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

father. And she is a fantastic mother. After dysfunctional families in the spotlight for so long (you don't hear about the happy ones), this is just wonderful. He sure looks at those girls with love on his face.

A beautiful dog! And, he can swim. :)

I wish they'd put him into a lion cut, it looks so much better.

-Hoot

puppy clip...so cute!

He is a cutie, isn't he?

CNN is interviewing Cesar Millan who puts things into perspective: train the human! :rofl:

I recorded CNN's coverage. I'll watch that later. :D

he can't "swim" in your OP?

"He doesn't know how to swim!" :D

that commotion! Loved It!

:D

Bo was doing the "leading" and wasn't being led. (Yes, I know he's a 6-month-old puppy.) There's a big learning curve coming ... and I'm confident they'll take in stride.

I like dogs and kids that "do their jobs" ... which is offer a "learning experience" to their family.

Our man Barack seemed to know better than to try to join the Club-Of-The-Led. :rofl:

Bo, at this age, regards the other end of the leash as dead weight -- a chance to get strength conditioning.

take the leash. :rofl:

Dog training - it's for people too!

ETA: I stand corrected - Jackeen has a thread with pics of the Prez holding the leash.

:rofl:

happy, doesn't he? :-)

and seeing him today with Bo...
He is just a big kid at heart...

Probably such a welcome relief from
all the "series" stuff he has to deal
with every day! I think it shows a
good balance within...some folks have
a hard time letting their hair down.

mastered that throughout his life and it's made him who he is now.

I have a feeling Bo will be spending a lot of time in the Oval Office. Perhaps we can make him Treasury Secretary...

They look excited and a little apprehensive. I read that neither ofthe Obamas ever had a dog growing up. Hard to imagine.

Busy city working class family, not so hard for me to imagine for me.

There really is some training involved, but I expect there are enough knowledgeable staff folks around that there won't be many problems.

And imagine! "Time to Walk the Dog" on the WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS! Not exactly the issue it is for most of us!

:rofl: Do they expect him to give a speech?

he said ....
:D

Hopefully this example will prompt others across the country to adopt a dog or cat from their neighborhood shelters. There are many beautiful dogs like this one who need good homes.

his breeder would find a new home for him (like they did), but no chance in hell of him being terminated.

Shame on the family who returned it. It's a double blessing to the family rescue a dog that was adopted and then discarded.

thing. they had two porties and one died so they got this one to provide companionship, but he was a little too rambunctious and thought the older portie was his mother and would try to nurse and that irritated her. so the family decided this wasn't going to work out and returned him.

http://www.petconnection.com/2009/04/12/the-obama-puppy-the-breeder-tells-the-tale/

If it really doesn't work out, what can you do? That's one of the few, very few advantages of buying a purebred from a breeder - all reputable breeders will take animals back if the commitment absolutely cannot be met, and the pet WILL be rehomed - through foster homes or a breed rescue if not the original breeder, and it WILL NOT be abandoned or euthanized. All responsible breeders make this guarantee (and if they can't make it, they're not responsible).

Many breeders have steep non-refundable deposits to guard against people doing this lightly.

I'm not condoning breeders or buying dogs - but the good ones are aware of the responsibilities they engender, and that goes for buyers too.