Bo Obama Joins First Family

During the late presidential campaign, then-Senator Barrack Obama let the world know he had promised his daughters a dog when it was all over, win or lose. He has now kept that promise with the addition of a Portuguese Water Dog to the family. “Bo” is a 6-month-old neutered male who adds to the Obama's picture perfect, happy family image. There's a saying in Washington that if one wants a friend in that hyper-political town, one ought to get a dog. It's true of a great many other places.

The breed is a particularly good one for a family like the Obamas. While not overwhelmingly big, the dogs aren't little yapping attention hounds. And with a life expectancy of around 12 years, Bo will be around until the youngest is in college. Bo will not put the Secret Service out of work – the breed is too friendly, like most of the working group.

Regular readers of this journal know that dogs are a special case in the universe. Unless abused, provoked or trained to viciousness, it is a rare canine that can't get along with people. The term “man's best friend” goes back to when the symbiotic relationship between humans and dogs began. While scientists disagree on when that was, it could be as early as 14,000 BC. Since then, humans have given dogs food and care, and dogs have worked in herding and as guardians.

One doubts that the Obama girls will have much use for Bo as a herding dog. And it is unclear if their father shares Senator Ted Kennedy's love of sailing, where the breed would be useful (although, Malia Obama made it clear to the press that Bo doesn't know how to swim yet). Instead, what he can provide is an extra measure of normality to two young lives that are going to be anything but normal. It's like the swing set on the South Lawn.

However, one point of professional jealousy did arise when Bo Obama came to fame. Next week, a children's book call “Bo America's Commander in Leash” hits the book stores. According to Mascot Books, the publisher, the book will follow "Bo on an exciting adventure as he learns all about the White House and experiences the traditions that make it such a special place." Great, a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog gets a book deal, while other scribes . . . .Well, clearly whom one knows matters a great deal. If he weren't such a charming pup, one might take a dislike to him. Of course, that's a human response, not a canine emotion.

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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