By David T. Valentin
Image taken by Pete Souza
Just when things are looking up in the U.S with hopes of a working vaccine and things returning to normal, yesterday the Obamas had to say goodbye to their dog Bo, the former first dog of the U.S.
In a post on Instagram, former First Lady Michelle Obama writes. “This afternoon was a difficult one for our family. We said goodbye to our best friend—our dog, Bo—after a battle with cancer.”
Along with a collage of the dog, one being of Bo sitting in the oval office chair, she explains Bo’s story and how he came to be the first dog of the U.S. back in 2008.
“On the campaign trail in 2008, we promised our daughters that we would get a puppy after the election. At the time, Bo was supposed to be a companion for the girls. We had no idea how much he would mean to all of us.”
Through the Obamas two-term presidency, eight years total, citizens of the U.S. fell in love with the adorable Portuguese water dog as his cuteness was captured by Obamas official photographer, Pete Souza, many times over.
Bo was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy, former senator of Massachusetts, and his wife Victoria. Bo and the Obamas had met some weeks earlier before they had fully adopted the six-month-old pup in order to gauge the compatibility with the Obamas’ children, Malia and Sasha. The family fell in love with Bo and, on April 14th, 2009, the dog was officially welcomed into the Obama family.
Despite mostly every U.S. sitting president owning at least one first pet, the U.S. has been without one for four years until Champ and Major, Joe and Jill Biden’s Germ Shepherd dogs, moved into the White House this year.
For four years President Trump never adopted a dog, nor any other animal. As Barbra Streisand noted, “He’s the first president in 120 years that doesn’t have a dog in the White House.”
In a rally in El Paso, Trump explained to his audience, “I wouldn’t mind having one, honestly, but I don’t have any time. How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?”
Now with the Bidens in the White House with Champ and Major, Major has become the first dog from an animal shelter to live in the White House. Despite a few nipping issues from Major in March of this year, possibly due to the breed’s overprotectiveness, he has since undergone some training and has remained beloved in the eyes of the public.
And in an interview with NBC’s Craig Melvin, First Lady Jill Biden confirms a third furry, feline pal will be joining the White House.
“She is waiting in the wings,” Jill Biden said. “That was part of his training, they took him into a shelter with cats, and he did fine.”
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