He was a good boy.
Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog gifted to the Obama family by Senator Ted Kennedy, has passed away at the age of 12, an average life expectancy for a dog of that breed. The announcement was made by both Barack and Michelle Obama on social media.
The 44th President of the United States called Bo “a constant, gentle presence in our lives,” and began listing his best qualities. In addition to enjoying a jump in the pool and being “unflappable with children,” Obama noted that he “had great hair.” (This is undeniably true.)
The former First Lady implored everyone to “hug the furry members of your family a little closer tonight.”
On the campaign trail back in 2008, Obama promised his then-young daughters Malia and Sasha that, win or lose, after the election he would get them a dog. During his victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago, Obama told his daughters “I love you both more than you can imagine. You have earned the puppy that is coming with us!”
Bo’s name was a reference to the legendary blues player Bo Diddley, as well as Michelle Obama’s father, Fraser Robinson, whose nickname was “Diddley.” Additionally, Malia and Sasha’s first cousins had a cat named Bo, and this was part of the decision-making. (B.O. are also Barack Obama’s initials, but this is likely just a coincidence.)
Ted Kennedy made the gift to the Obama family on April 12, 2009. The Massachusetts Senator had three Portuguese Water Dogs of his own, and one of them (Cappy!) was from the same litter as Bo. Portuguese Water Dogs are considered hypoallergenic, as Malia’s allergies were a major consideration when determining the breed. (It was not feasible to have, as Obama self-derisively put it at the time, “a mutt like me.”)
In August 2013 Bo began sharing the spotlight with Sunny, a female Portuguese Water Dog.
Pets in the White House are a tradition that goes back to Warren G. Harding and his terrier Laddie Boy. Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her, and the Clintons had Socks, a tuxedo cat, as well as Buddy, a chocolate Labrador. Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon named Rebecca and William Howard Taft had a cow named Pauline Wayne.
Recently Joe Biden brought two German Shepherds, Champ and Major, though there have been some growing pains there.
Some mistakenly call Checkers, a lovable cocker spaniel, a presidential pet, but this is in error. Richard Nixon’s pooch may have been at the center of a campaign finance scandal, but he only lived to see his owner as Vice President.
Many took to Twitter to share their favorite Bo memories, but see below for the one time he got royally dissed by the Official White House account and didn’t pay it any mind.
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