The poop on White House dog Bo

He has torn through magazines and stray socks, even sunk his teeth into the president's gym shoes. Charm school taught him to sit, heel and shake a paw on command. He spent his first summer vacation on breezy Martha's Vineyard.

That's just a scoop of the poop on Bo's first few months as First Dog of the United States.

Most of his dog days begin with early morning walks on the grounds with Michelle Obama, and end with a nighttime jaunt with President Barack Obama, the couple juggling their four-legged family member in shifts the way the first lady says they once handled daughters Malia and Sasha.

In between, 10-month-old Bo has playtime with the girls, meals, puppy mischief — and lots of just lying around.

Obama says walks with the family's Portuguese Water Dog are a highlight of his pressure-packed days. It's perhaps a sign of just how high-stress they are that the president even gets sentimental about the less pleasant duties of dog ownership.

Sen. Ted Kennedy is remembered as a dog lover and animal advocate

Many around the country are mourning the death of "the lion of the Senate," Sen. Edward Kennedy.  In the man's 77 years, he spearheaded efforts to advance a number of liberal causes, but he was remembered today as a lawmaker willing to cross the aisle in order to further legislation he believed in.  One element of Kennedy's life that connected him with conservatives was his love of animals -- particularly his beloved Portuguese water dogs -- which, of course, have no party affiliation.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote today that Kennedy was "a stalwart ally over the years on a wide range of legislation to protect companion animals, farm animals, animals in research and wildlife," adding that the senator from Massachusetts was instrumental in the passage of animal welfare legislation including laws that cracked down on dogfighting and cockfighting, protected horses and other farm animals, and sent chimpanzees once used in medical research to sanctuaries.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund, which issues an annual report on the voting records of the nation's lawmakers on animal protection issues, gave Kennedy a score of 83 in its most recent "scorecard," noting that he was absent during a vote on one of the issues it used to determine its scores.  (Among the issues at stake for the Legislative Fund were the Horse Slaughter Bill, the Downed Animal Enforcement Act and the Farm Bill, the latter being the issue on which Kennedy failed to vote.)

Of course, the animals closest to Kennedy's heart were his own dogs, Sunny and Splash.  He noted in an interview with the Boston Globe that Splash had "met Elton John. He was in the Oval Office. He has a dog bone from President Bush. He gave me this rawhide dog bone and wrote on it, 'From Barney to Splash.' I take him to all the hearings; he always sits under the table. He goes to press conferences, to the Cape. He loves to take long trips in the boat. He could sail all day." 

Bo Obama is met with open arms, and a parade, at Martha's Vineyard

For most Americans, when the family takes a summer vacation, the pets pile into the family van -- even if it means the vacation is on 28 acres, and the van is Air Force One. And whereas most families are hustled off to go see Aunt Martha, the First Family is taking a load off at Martha's Vineyard.

While some people are howling that the Obamas are staying on a portion of the island where properties like their 28-acre spread go for $50k a week, dog lovers on Martha's Vineyard are so thrilled to have Bo sniffing around that they've created T-shirts (above) and organized the first-ever Martha's Vineyard Dog Parade.

Photos of Bo's trip and the local pups after the jump.

Obamas' dog Bo celebrates his 'first 100 days'

It's been a hectic few months, no doubt, for Bo, the Obama family's Portuguese water dog. Since word leaked about the first family's new puppy a few days before Bo was officially paraded around the White House lawn in his first public appearance, just about every aspect of Bo's life has been scrutinized.

PETA fretted about whether he would be neutered (turns out, by the time the Obamas brought him home, he already was).  People Magazine pointed out that it looked like First Lady Michelle Obama was doing more than her fair share of the work of caring for Bo, despite the fact that the president told reporters in December, "I want to make sure my daughters take care of this dog, and if they do their business, and you've got some poop, you don't just leave it there."  All this attention on the first dog prompted former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to call the hoopla "fairly stupid" during an appearance on ABC News' "This Week."

Time has flown, and now -- would you believe it? -- Bo has been "in office" for 100 days.  To celebrate this milestone, Animal Planet has launched an interactive Web feature dedicated to the first dog, complete with a "Do you know Bo?" quiz, a photo gallery, presidential pet trivia and even first-person (first-pup?) diary entries written from Bo's point of view. 

But Animal Planet isn't the only place you can read Bo's first-person musings.  Writing in the first dog's "voice" is so popular, in fact, that the New York Times, that bastion of journalistic ideals, published an op-ed piece ostensibly written by Bo (actually penned by writer Ben Greenman) commemorating his first 100 days in the White House.  And a Twitter account, Bo_The_Dog, has even popped up; it claims to offer followers a dog's-eye view of the Beltway.

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-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Bo in the White House rose garden in June. Credit: Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press

White House dog Bo knows baseball -- cards

The White House has released an official portrait of first dog Bo -- but even better than the photo, in our opinion, is the fact that it has been cleverly packaged in the form of a baseball card (you can even download a larger PDF file of it at the White House website). 

We've already learned some fun facts about Bo since he arrived at the White House in April (he knows how to shake hands, for instance, and he's a night owl who enjoys biting people's feet). 

The newly released baseball card offers some more "stats" about America's favorite Portuguese water dog, including the insight that, although Bo is a Portuguese water dog, he doesn't know how to swim. Another tidbit: Bo's favorite food is "Tomatoes -- or toys."  (Um, Mr. President, we hope you're only feeding your pup ripe tomatoes -- the green part of the plant is toxic to pets.)

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: The White House's photo stream via Flickr

Puppy Bo nearly trips Barack, but the president is saved by Michelle

In case you missed last week's "Inside The Obama White House" with NBC's Brian Williams, here's the one segment of the two-hour special that readers of this blog would be interested in: The part where Bo nearly trips the Commander in Chief in front of a small army of cameras. Fortunately for the president, first lady Michelle Obama was there to save the day.

Actually the Portuguese water dog demonstrated how well-trained he is, offering President Obama one paw and then the other in order to shake hands. Then he laid down obediently -- the dog, that is. Not the guy who promised to remove all combat troops from Iraq by August 2010, who pledged to cut back lobbyists' clout in Washington, and who vowed to acknowledge the Armenian genocide ... but we digress.

Although some were fascinated by the nearly all-access look inside the White House, Slate's Troy Patterson yawned "NBC could have provided a greater public service by showing Bo play on a PuppyCam." 

-- Tony Pierce

Beanie Babies modeled after Obamas' dog Bo are selling like hotcakes

Last month, toy company Ty announced its plans to market a Beanie Baby in the image of the new Obama family dog, Bo.  And the Bo dolls appear to be popular enough that they're hard to keep in stock.  The Associated Press reports:

Less than a dozen "Bo" Beanie Babies were sent to the educational toy shop Learning Express in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, and he sold out quickly, owner Aalap Shah said Wednesday.

"We were fortunate enough to receive a small shipment of 'Bo,' " Shah said. "He sold out within a few hours. He was very popular. We can't wait to get some more in."

Capitalizing on the first family's popularity seems to come naturally to Ty, which came under fire early this year when it introduced two dolls, "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha," apparently modeled after the president's daughters.  (A Ty spokesperson said the company had chosen the names simply because "they are beautiful names," but the dolls were quickly rebranded.  You can see "Marvelous Mariah" and "Sweet Sydney" above -- and clearly they bear no resemblance to the Obama girls.  Cough, cough.)

Beanie Bo's suggested retail price is $4.99, although the dolls are often selling for considerably more on eBay.  One online auctioner even offers the holy trinity of Obama-themed Ty memoribilia: original TyGirlz Malia and Sasha dolls (authenticated!) and Beanie Bo.  Asking price?  $2,299.95. 

Yeah, we'll get right on that.

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Portuguese water dogs: Ten fun facts

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Scott Stewart/Associated Press

Malia and Sasha Obama not pulling their weight with first puppy Bo?

What parent doesn't know that their child's promises to feed, care for and walk the new dog aren't likely to pan out? 

First Lady Michelle Obama is just the latest in a long line of moms and dads who wind up assuming responsibility for the less-fun parts of dog ownership, according to People Magazine:

"I got up at 5:15 a.m. in the morning to walk my puppy," [Mrs. Obama] said Thursday of Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog who joined the family Easter weekend, fulfilling President Obama's campaign promise to daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

"Even though the kids are supposed to do a lot of the work, I'm still up at 5:15 a.m. taking my dog out. So for everyone who has a child asking for a puppy – you have to want the dog," Mrs. Obama said to knowing laughter from a luncheon audience of congressional spouses. "As I do," she added. "I love my Bo."

What's a parent to do to avoid picking up all the slack?  I-Love-Dogs suggests making a chart to remind kids of pressing pet care needs. "Let your child mark a check when the chore has been completed. The more he completes the chore, the easier it will be to remember," the site advises. 

Or if you're like Mrs. Obama (and a lot of other parents out there), you can just take care of your new pet yourself.  But where's the educational value in that?

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Malia, left, and Sasha Obama walk Bo on the White House lawn.  Credit: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press

Obamas' new dog Bo is a "kind of crazy" foot-biter, says the first lady

A group of children visiting the White House as part of a Take Your Child to Work Day program learned that new first dog Bo is "kind of crazy" and stays up late into the night playing with toys. 

First lady Michelle Obama said Bo startled the family with his activities just last night.  "It was like 10 o'clock," Mrs. Obama told the group, which included Vice President Joe Biden's granddaughter Maisie and other children and grandchildren of administration staff.  "Everybody was asleep and we hear all this barking and jumping around.... The president and I came out and we thought somebody was out there. And it was just Bo. He was playing with his ball. And it was like there was another person in the house."

In a question-and-answer session with Michelle Obama, the new family pet was a frequent topic of conversation.  The Associated Press shares the first lady's response when asked what she would do if Bo ran away:

"I would be very sad, first of all but ... he has [dog] tags, and hopefully someone would find him and bring him back," she said.

She said it would be hard for Bo to get off the South Lawn, one of the places he is taken for walks and to play, because it is gated. But if he were to get out, she said, lots of people would try to track him down.

"I think everyone at the White House would probably help go out and find him," she said. "That's why we're working on training him, so that he doesn't run away and he listens when we call him. And so far he's doing OK, so we hope we don't have that problem."

Another bit of information about the 6-month-old Portuguese water dog came to light: "He loves to chew on people's feet," Mrs. Obama told the children.

--Lindsay Barnett

Photo: President Obama holds Bo during his media debut last week on the White House's South Lawn.  Credit: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press.

Toy company Ty, fresh from Sasha and Malia Obama doll controversy, introduces Beanie Bo

Ty, the manufacturer of '90s toy-of-the-moment Beanie Babies, came under fire earlier this year with the release of two dolls modeled after Sasha and Malia Obama.  ("There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," Ty spokesperson Tania Lundeen said at the time, insisting the company had chosen the first daughters' names simply because "they are beautiful names.")

The dolls, marketed as "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia," were eventually renamed by the company. (They're now called "Sweet Sydney" and "Marvelous Mariah," but, for the record, the originals are fetching considerably more than the new models on eBay. One seller is currently offering both for the low, low price of $2,400.) 

Now the toy company is looking to capitalize on the newest Obama family member with the introduction of "Beanie Bo."  The Chicago Tribune's politics blog, the Swamp, reports:

Ty Inc. promises that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Beanie Bo will go to animal shelters -- which is where the Obama family once considered finding the dog that they promised the girls, until Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) found the perfect pet for the president's family, a littermate to one of his own PWDs.

If the now-extinct Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia already have become collectors' items, they still have "Bubbly Britney'' and "Hip Hannah'' for your consideration.

Beanie Bo can be purchased "at select stores," according to Ty's website.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Business Wire