First off I must state that I have 2 dogs, a cat and a hampster. I love animals. I also do not care for Obama's politics. That being said why is there such a fuss over the Obamas getting a dog? Many people act like it's some sort of requirement for the president's family. First off one of his daughters is allergic to dogs. Secondly what if they are not dog or animal people so to say? I just wish people would leave the Obamas alone about the dog issue and stop being so pushy. While I am at it I must say that I do not care for Joe Biden's politics either. However get off the Biden's back as well when it comes to his dog. Yes, yes I know he got it from a breeder. Well I got my dogs from a shelter and a golden retriever rescue organization.

I leaked the story to TMZ.com. This is Real. I have a real picture of the dog. [url]http://www.firstdogcharlie.com[/url] This picture came straight from the folks that gave up the dog.

So much for Obama's promise to get a "shelter dog." Buy a dog and a dog in a shelter dies. Shame on Obama.

I thought we got an honest caring president but now see I was wrong. He probably never intended to get a shelter dog in the first place and planned on getting this dog from Kennedy's breeder months ago. Getting a dog that was returned back to a breeder is NO rescue. The dog would have just been sold to another customer. Does he and Michelle really think the public is going to buy his rescue story. I believed in them and supported them through the campaign. Never again. Thousands of people will now go to breeders instead of shelters. Shame on you Barack and Michelle.

The problem is that it is likly hard to find a portuguese water dog that is from a shelter so the closest they could get is a returned PWD. I am also allergic and have a PWD and she is a WONDERFUL dog. There are not a lot of large non-allergic dogs so their options are limited..I know, we also wanted to rescue. When economic times are tough, war is going on, etc. I think it is "fun" for people to focus on their dog. Give people that! and stop being so negative.

There are plenty of "non allergenic" dogs at shelters and if any one has access to one it is the Obama's. I too am disappointed. His change promise is once again "the same". I campaigned for him but his political- please like me -side is really showing . The 2 faces of politics
is really disheartening.

Just have to add one more thing. Obama's environmental policies are a continuation of George Bush's when it comes to animals. He has done nothing to stop the wolf hunts and the Humane Society and other animal rights groups are extremely upset by his lack of action in this area.

Also, by getting a shelter dog he had the chance to set an example and promote awareness to the situation where dogs are dying and suffering in shelters and at breeding facilities.

Are you all serious? Shame on you for being so ridiculous as to say you will no longer support the President because he did not get a dog from the shelter. It is a dog! How dare you all over analyze every simple thing the President and First Lady does...ridiculous!

Barack Obama is bringing from Europe unique presents Luxury accessories for the America’s First Dog

Political leaders of European Union prepared for the First American Couple original and witty gifts indeed. On Sunday, Barack and Michelle Obama received in Prague luxury dog bowls and dog bed for their sweet pet that they should be getting on Easter. Special edition of products prepared exclusively for America’s First Dog includes logo that was specially designed for the dog that
we all cannot wait to see! The First American Couple seemed evidently excited by receiving these gifts. More Informations and pictures on the official press homepage :

www.firstdogbowl.com

By googling "Obama dog" I got a hit that said the dog they are getting is one that was returned to the breeder, so in that sense the Obamas are taking in a dog that has had a sad history of rejection by its first owner. And any parents have to put first the health needs of their children---if a purebred Portugese Water Dog is the best for Malia's allergies, it would seem nasty of anti-Obama people to hold that against him because they don't happen to like his politics. How petty can you get? Yesterday I saw a post claiming that US taxpayers should be charging rent to the children's grandmother since she stays at the White House. There is such a thing as just being nasty.

There are many of us who have spent thousands of hours volunteering our time rescuing innocent animals from Indian reservations, dog tracks, etc. and we try to find homes for these animals. What nerve of the Obama's to tell people to go out and volunteer their time. By getting their dog from a breeder they are not helping us. Maybe they should try volunteering their time at an animal shelter, but it looks like they don't care enough. Extremely gut wrenching.

GW, I don't believe that Obama ever promised to get a shelter dog. When the subject was first made public he said that their preference was for a shelter dog but that their first consideration had to be finding a dg that their daughter with allergies could live with.

Cindy, do you seriously think the first couple has a lot of time to spend volunteering at an animal shelter?

How I wish they had kept their word about getting a dog from a shelter. No one returns a dog to a breeder. I think that's just a way to avoid the gift rule. Why involve the Kennedys? This is a family matter not a political statement. As long as his kids enjoy the dog and care for it, its fine. But having a shelter dog would have been even finer.

isn't it nice that the Obama's are doing something that sets an example?

The are thinking of their children first!

They are getting a dog that won't cause allergy problems for their kids!

With shelter dogs, you just don't know what you are really getting.

Hope there are not threats made to the breeder of this dog! The PWD group is very tight and they do their own rescue, isn't that what all you AR's think they should do?

leave the decision alone - its a personal decision whether to go to a shelter for a rejected dog, or to go to a reputable breeder!

I APPLAUD OUR FIRST FAMILY FOR PUTTING THEIR CHILDREN FIRST!!!

I bought a dog from a breeder which had been returned by its first owner. This does happen. Malia and Sasha Obama should be able to have the dog they want and can live with because of Malia's allergies. Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill!! I personally hope the Obama girls, as well as the whole family, have many happy years with their new puppy!

PLENTY of purebred dogs are returned to breeders - and many breeders do help with shelter dogs, rescues and rehoming dogs who never make it into the system because the breeder does non tax deductible rescues. Dogs are returned for many reasons - some being just as stupid as those dropped at shelters - "got too big", "no time" "doesn't match the decor". Purebred dogs are just as worthy of getting homes as mixes, and some people are active in training and sports with dogs and want the dog to fill certain paraments and to know what to expect when they get a dog.

Getting his kids a dog has nothing to do with politics. Kids want dogs, no matter where they live.

Sheeshhhh!!!!!

Cindy, I completely agree with what you said. Perhaps, if they volunteered at a shelter, and had to look into the eyes of the dogs as they are killed for the crime of not having a home, they would realize that they should be adopting a shelter dogs.

Rational dog owner, you call yourself rational, but simply don't know what you are talking about. There are plenty of "hypo-allergenic" dogs on Petfinder.com that they could have adopted. They could have found a great pet for their children and saved a life. Both my dogs are rescues, and they could not have a more wonderful disposition.

And to those of you who are saying it's not a big deal, it is! What, if we were killing people simply because they didn't have homes? We are all God's creatures, and a nation should be judged on how it treats it animals; the most innocent in society. Look, I was a supporter of Obama, but I can't say that I am anymore. I thought he was going to be a champion of animal rights, but it looks like I was mistaken.

Allergists believe that all "the safe dog breeds" are really just wishful thinking. There is no hypoallergenic breed of dog. Some dogs may be a little less than others depending on saliva tests which must be done on the individual dog and not the breed in general , etc.. Personally I feel very sorry for the dog that must live with the Obama family. I think they are getting the dog because it makes them look like a typical American family and will draw some votes for Mr. Obama. They don't have what it takes to love animals.

Obama never "promised" to get a shelter dog -- he said that would be their preference. He also said their first concern was that Malia is allergic and that limited their choices. Why do you politicize a very common desire of a kid to have a dog? Try arguing something of substance for a change.

As a PWD owner, I'm concerned that the "Presidental" dog will encourage overbreeding and over-popularity of the breed. They are extremely intelligent dogs that need a job. While there is enough going on at the White House, the average house is not a good PWD home. My breeder will no longer let her dogs go to 2 income houses - the house is empty and the dog will invent a job. The last dog that she let go to a dual-income house removed ALL of their baseboard molding one day. They returned the dog. I SO wish the Obama's had set the example for getting a shelter dog.

Over and over again Obama talked about getting a "shelter dog." I guess that none of the thousands of dogs in the numerous shelters in the DC-metro area are good enough for Kennedy and Obama. Same for the 11 homeless Portugese Water dogs who are on petfinder. Buy one dog and get one killed in a shelter. BTW, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog - SUCKERS!

ps - What a "coincidence" that the breeder used by Kennedy had a dog returned just about the time Obama said they would be getting a dog. PLEASE - do they think we are that stupid? Then again, looking at some of the posts above, maybe we are. 5-6 million animals are killed in shelters each year, but at least the Obama's got their yuppy dog. Let the mutts eat cake and die I guess.

Come on, AR folks...Get off it. Whether a person gets a purebred dog or not, and whether that dog comes from a shelter or a breeder is a person's own choice. None of you have the right to condemn that. Before you scream about volunteering at a shelter...I volunteered at a shelter. I watched healthy young dogs put to sleep because they had minor bad habits that the owners didn't want to deal with. It was sad. Purebred dogs and mixes alike have the same behavioral issues.

Just the same, I have rescued dogs from shelters, I have bought them from breeders. I am honest about that, which is more than I can say for the AR people, who would rather see all domesticated animals, purebred or not, "freed" from the slavery of humankind. BTW, do any of you AR folks know that HSUS doesn't operate a single shelter ANYWHERE in the US? Do any of you know that PETA kills somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 animals a year, rather than adopt them out? Don't scream at someone for buying a purebred dog, unless you can honestly say you're coming from a higher moral ground. And believe me, if you're a PETA member, you can't say that, not in a million years. I love my dogs, and give them the best of care, regardless of where they come from.

Do the nation a favor. Spend your time volunteering in your local animal shelter, and less time on your computer blasting people for choosing a purebred dog from a breeder. As was stated earlier, when you adopt a dog from a shelter, you're adopting a needy dog, all right, but you also bring home whatever baggage that unfortunate dog already had. And believe me, I saw dogs from my local shelter adopted out several times and returned...Some of them were euthanized because they had minor problems that no one wanted to solve...Guess what? It happens to shelters, too.

Get a life, people. If you spent more time worrying about your own life and less picking on other people, your life would be happier.

Lastly, and most importantly, in this country, at least for a while longer, we still have something called freedom of choice. Remember that, and respect it, or go to some country where the government chooses for you.

A pure bred puppymill dog??? That is so lame! And then they are giving a donation to the Washington Humane Society which is a rotten place. Plus, it's like leaving cab fare for your date on the nightstand. Just disrespectful. "You all are gonna die, but here's some biscuits for ya"

And then he insults the entire state of Hawai`i by putting a lei on him while dissing the 100,000 plus animals brutally killed each year in the state.

Lame, lame, lame, and very disappointing.

At least they made Joe Biden happy. After dissing the name Frank - which is Joe's brother's name, they named this one Bo. Biden's kid's name is Beau.

I can't get enough of this story and can that dog be any cuter ?

Love the first family and their new addition.

Oh come on people.....
Would we be having this discussion if the President's last name was Bush or McClain.

Congratulation Obamas
and for the rest of you haters,it just a dog.Get a life.

I heard on the news that this dog (Bo) is a "second chance dog....returned by a previous owner".

http://www.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?pet.Animal=Dog&pet.Breed=portuguese+water&pet.Age=&pet.Size=&pet.Sex=&location=07204

They are not that hard to find. I did in 10 seconds.

Shame on them and the HSUS, PETA and Best Friends for not immediately condemning the decision.

Purebreed rescue - it exists; it's an important part of saving dog's lives. And it was begun many, many years ago by responsible breeders of purebred dogs.

Shelters serve a function, as do rescues. Most rescue dogs come from shelters, but not all. Dogs that are returned to their breeders should be responsibly re-homed, just as other homeless dogs should be. And because responsible breeders do re-home their dogs, they don't ever enter a shelter environment. And because responsible breeders rehome their own dogs and those of poor breeders, they created the concept of breed rescue...thereby reducing the numbers of needy dogs in shelters by pulling them from a shelter environment and placing them in a program that is specifically geared for that particular breed's health, temperament and training needs.


Being the second home to re-homed, responsible breeder's dog has definite value. Supporting responsible breeders has value - they are the foundation of what we today know as rescue. And rescue is a huge outlet for the responsible placement of many shelter dogs.


The next time you're visiting your local shelter (which is something I suspect many of you rarely actually do), ask them about their rescue partners. You'll be surprised to find a variety of purebred rescues. And among them, you'll find responsible breeders - doing much more than 90% of the posters here will ever do to preserve and improve the quality of dogs' lives.

Who cares where they got their dog! Pres. Obama & First Lady Michelle have a daughter with allergies and that should be their FIRST & MAIN concern.

Everyone that has a dog has made their own choice of how they received their dog. Dang, people let the Obamas have the right to make their own decisions when it comes to their personal lives! I think we are too involved in their personal lives anyway so we need to just shut up. We don't want anyone telling us what to do so give them the same respect.

Get a life and you won't be so consumed with the Obamas' life.

If they are happy with Bo and he's what's best for their family, respect that!

If I chose to get a dog, I would be hesitant with a shelter dog because I don't know what all problems could be wrong with it. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it!

The Obama's don't know how to handle a dog, did you see that puppy pull them across the lawn? I wish people would learn some simple dog skills, maybe there wouldn't be such a problem and so many dogs wouldn't be murdered in this country. That dog is going to have a horrible life because they didn't want it so as soon as they leave the white house it won't get any extra care. And yes I am a volunteer at a shelter, but I have also owned beautiful purebred dogs.