I wish I could shake the idea that Bo Obama lives in a crate all day

[Peregrine Took]

and he is just dragged out for photo ops.

I hope I'm wrong but I just never felt he was the right type dog for them (for 1st time dog owners, that is, he was just "too much dog.")

Every time I've seen him he is pulling on his leash and they even walk him on a leash in the WH.

I hope they bring him on vacation and if they do that he gets to run and jump with the kids and not be hidden from sight or bound up on a leash.

I'd like to bring him to the dog park here in Chicago for a few hours and just let him romp with those crazy guys in and out of the water, chasing each other around and getting all wet and sandy and having a ball.

[Donnachaidh]

1. hell, let him loose on the WH grounds and let him run himself silly.

Send frisbees to him, care of the WH.

[Generator]

2. Yep, he's just a "stunt dog"

Mrs. Obama has a "girlie" one somewhere. And the president has a pit bull that he keeps off leash to keep Rahm in line.

[MADem]

17. What??? Do you mean....

Rahm isn't a shaved pit bull in a nice suit?

[undeterred]

19. Yes, he is.

And he and Obama's pit bull rough it up with each other during breaks.

[babylonsister]

3. Bo goes...

Obama's Martha's Vineyard lair: 28 acres
A farm, golf tee, basketball court and beach -- and an army of Secret Service
Posted July 24, 2009 12:15 PM
The Swamp

by Mark Silva


This just in from Martha's Vineyard:

The place where the Obama family plans to spend the last week of August will offer some room to roam on the remote island off the coast of Cape Cod.

The Blue Heron Farm, a 28-acre retreat in the town of Chilmark, once deemed one of the most expensive towns in America, is among a stable of resorts that fetch $35,000 to $50,000 a week, according to an island correspondent, Sam Bungey, of the Vineyard Gazette, who has nailed down the location of the first family's vacation.

The "farm'' features a swimming pool, a golf tee and a small basketball court, as well as four dwellings and a half dozen other structures "in which to swing a cat'' -- plus private access to a stretch of Squibnocket Beach -- which may keep those Obama swimsuit photos to a minimum.

"It's a lavish choice of holiday home and fine fodder for those taking aim at the recession-era president,'' Bungey reports in a posting at the Daily Beast. "However, here are some mitigating factors worth considering. First, they're not renting the entire farm.''

The rest of the place is renting out to the presidential retinue, no small army. There's also a precedent for the president's visit: The previous owners played host to former President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary in 1988.

" As reported in this morning's Vineyard Gazette, while the details are still being hammered out, it appears that the rental agreement will be split into three leases: one to be held by the Obamas, another by the Secret Service and a third by a White House entourage.''

The Obamas also "are paying their own way--according to sources,'' Bungey reports. "The Obamas are treating the transaction as a standard summer rental, from payment terms right down to requesting permission to bring the family dog.''

Of course Bo goes, too.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/07/obamas_marthas_vineyard_lair_2.html#more

[ColbertWatcher]

4. I think Bo has a handler.

Who, I think, will train him until he is older.

[femmocrat]

5. We haven't seen much of Bo, have we?

I think the Obamas could do a lot to promote responsible dog ownership by attending dog obedience classes and training Bo for the Canine Good Citizen program.

[Cleita]

8. Or, a very busy President and First Lady can afford a dog nanny,

which I hope they have. Even my not presidential boss sends his dog to doggie day care when he's in the office or busy with other things. Ms. Pretty gets to romp with other dogs under the supervision of handlers and swim in a pool if she likes. She loves it. She would be very lonely at home all day long, and since she has a history as an escape artist, and on the lam a lot when confined.

[blogslut]

6. Oh, for fuck's sake

Is this a new meme?

[Curtland1015]

7. It gets a bit crazy sometimes, doesn't it? nt.

[tosh]

14. Indeed it does. nt.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

10. Obama, the dog monster -

Yeah, that's a new one.

Do people not know how BIG the White House is? Or the grounds? The public don't get near the living areas or the private grounds, so I guess they haven't any idea of what a HUGH place it is.

Bo's got plenty of hallways to run down with two little girls, and I'm sure they all get plenty of exercise all the time............................

[MADem]

18. It wouldn't surprise me if Bo swims in the outdoor pool every so often.

The WH grounds are massive. It's not just the front lawn and the Rose Garden.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

20. People don't know -

they can't see it. So, yeah, someone assumes Bo lives in a crate.

I will not be surprised to read someone's guess that the kids also live in crates................................

[ecstatic]

12. Maybe he's being lumped in the same boat as Vick

:shrug:

[Mojambo]

9. But I bet it's a really nice crate. n/t

[Uzybone]

11. lord have mercy

[spanone]

13. they have a huge staff, i bet that's the most pampered dog on earth

[MADem]

22. Conspiracy theories abound! Bo's breeder just died!!! Who had her knocked off?

Really--she did die, poor dear. Young, too, only seventy two: http://www.examiner.com/x-1028-Pet-News-Examiner~y2009m7d27-Bo-Obamas-breeder-Martha-Stern-passes-away-at-72

The breeder of the nation's First Dog has passed away. Martha B. Watson, 72, of Boyd, Texas died on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at a hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she and her husband Arthur Stern had a summer home, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Mrs. Stern and her husband gained national attention when they were identified this past April as the breeders of Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog who would become First Dog. The Sterns, who operate Amigo Portuguese Water Dogs in Texas, also bred all three Portuguese Water Dogs belonging to Senator Ted Kennedy.

Of Bo, Mrs. Stern said that he was going to "be a little gentleman" and that "we're expecting great things of that little fellow."

Any desired memorial contributions may be made to the Portuguese Water Dog Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 203, Parker Ford, Pa. 19457-0203 or AKC Canine Health Foundation, 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 300, Raleigh, N.C. 27617-3901.

[Olney Blue]

15. I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Bo is fine.

[MADem]

16. He's a PUPPY. Of course he's going to pull and yank.

That's part of the reason why he went through, what, two other owners?

They likely walk him on a leash when there are cameras about so he doesn't leap all over the press pool. You HAVE to keep him on a leash when there is a helo on the lawn.

We have no idea what they do with the dog when the cameras are not around. He's probably pulling because he is accustomed to more freedom when it's just a few folks around.

I wish I could take my dogs to a White House Lawn sized dog park!!!!

[WI_DEM]

21. And of course you have proof that this is the case? or are you just talking out of your butt?

I'm sure the Obama girls take good care of there dog and enjoy him.

[MADem]

23. He has been in the news lately

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/07/obama-dog-bo-first-100-days.html

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......

[proud2BlibKansan]

59. PETA opposes neutering?

That's nuts enough all by itself.

[Ikonoklast]

60. The only thing that PETA hates nmore than humans

is animals.

[mamaleah]

73. That shocks me.

I would think PETA of all groups would know the consequences of un-neutered or spayed dogs.

[csziggy]

24. TheWhite House has a kennel that has been used since President Harding's Airedale

Moved in. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-White-Houses-First-Celebrity-Canine.html

On sadder news, the breeder of Bo passed away:

Kennel owner dies, breeder of Obama dog
By Associated Press
Monday, July 27, 2009

BOYD, Texas — The owner of a Texas kennel where first dog Bo was bred has died. A memorial service was scheduled Monday in Dallas for Martha B. Watson Stern of Boyd. Stern, 72, died July 21 at a hospital in Charlottesville., Va., where she and her husband, Art, had a summer home. Her obituary did not list a cause of death.

Art Stern told the Dallas Morning News that the couple became interested in Portuguese water dogs while watching the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in the 1980s.

The Sterns drew attention in April as breeders of the Portuguese water dog that became the pet of President Obama, his wife and their two daughters.

Stern was a Waxahachie native who grew up in Dallas.
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/southwest/view/20090727kennel_owner_dies_breeder_of_obama_dog/

[pnwmom]

25. Of course they walk him on a leash in the PUBLIC ROOMS of the White House.

He's a puppy, he needs to be kept under control.

[TheWraith]

26. What the fuck have you been smoking?

Do you seriously believe any of the ridiculous shit you just said?

[DeepBlueC]

27. I thought I read he was a bed sleeping dog

The kids would not let him be locked up in a crate. They just would not. He was promised to them and they they kept a long vigil waiting and I think he's right up there in the living quarters with them. And when no one is home there will be NO SHORTAGE of willing dog sitters. Democrats love pets.

[BlueIdaho]

28. Maybe he could put those blue dogs in their place. nt.

[rurallib]

29. I am betting those kids give himj plenty of love, exercise and play

I remember being a kid with a dog. (great to have around at dinner time)

[NoSheep]

34. Yours is a nice comment. I wish I were nice anymore.

:-(

[bobbolink]

30. THREE MILLION people homeless in the US, but this is what y0u're most worried about?

Gotta love those priorities....

:eyes:

[Robb]

33. I'm more concerned about, say, two million of them.

Then the dog, then the next million.

I say that only because I don't care for about 1 in 3 people, on balance.

I've only met about three dogs in my life I didn't like, for one reason or another.

It's a numbers game. :shrug:








...Do I need a particular smilie here, or is that it's *me* talkin' good enough? :D

[bobbolink]

36. as a homeless person, I can tell you that your compassion is so very touching.

Need I add: :sarcasm:

[xultar]

47. The OP didn't say it was their MOST worry. Jeez.

[bobbolink]

66. BWAHAHAHAHA!

Here you are, angry that DUers aren't serious enough about race issues, and you come JEEEZING me for talking about HOMELESSNESS being more serious than a dog in a crate?????

:crazy:

I would strongly suggest that if you can't care about others who are suffering prejudice in this damned country, that you suck it up about YOURS.

[orleans]

75. bob--we're liberals--that means we can care about people & animals at the same time

compassionate hearts are all inclusive

on edit: but it sounds like i am walking into the middle of a disagreement that i haven't been following. sorry.

[bobbolink]

76. I appreciate your effort...here is the deal,and I hope you will listen and care,

Whether you're aware of it or not, we POOR and HOMELESS people get ignored.... and that includes on DU, AirAmerica, Keith Olberman, etc.

We are simply brushed aside.

THAT HURTS.

It is also making it possible for municipalities to target us, because they KNOW prejudice against poor and homeless people isn't taken seriously like race or gender, etc., would be.

And more specifically.... when Katrina survivors, who had been scattered all over the country, had lost the media attention and were quietly being turned out of their temporary "homes", they had nowhere to go, no way to survive, and were killing themselves. At the same time, groups were going down to "Rescue" animals, bringing them back here, and "fostering" them and spending a lot of money finding homes for them.

Do you get what I'm saying? It was VERY clear to all of us homeless people that these pets were much more important than the poor folk ever were. Do you think you would find that very easy to live with/

I know people who advocate for poor folk through the Lutheran agency for politcal action, and some Catholics who do the same thing, and they ALL talk about how upset they get because animals are more important to people in this country than poor people.

Now, I explained this to you calmly and respectfully, but with the passion of someone who is very tired of hurting in this way.

I hope you can respond with the compassion and understanding that this deserves.

[orleans]

77. bob,

yes, i get what you're saying. and no, i don't think i would find it easy to live with if i was homeless and came to the realization that people are more concerned about homeless pets rather than homeless people.

i think your post to me deserves a thread of its own.

but i must tell you, in spite of the way things appeared, not all of us put rescuing animals above rescuing people throughout katrina. some of us were losing our minds over what was happening to people in new orleans.

i know the homeless are invisible in the media, they are invisible in towns across the country.

i can't imagine anything more difficult or stressful than being homeless.

[bobbolink]

78. I appreciate your willingness to hear, and your concern.

"but i must tell you, in spite of the way things appeared, not all of us put rescuing animals above rescuing people throughout katrina. "

I just told you what happened, so clearly it isn't something you want to wrap your mind around. While it's understandable, that denial is HURTING us.

If you were in my shoes, and were treated the way I've been treated, and had ugly things said to you like I have, you would be forced out of that denial.

To try to make it more clear..... when people meet me and get to know me, they like me. We have many pleasant exchanges. They see me as upbeat, and having a fun sense of humor. Then when they find out I'm homeless, all but a small minority make an abrupt change in how they speak to me, and how they treat me.

Try living with that, and then believing that people really do care.

Most just don't.

Period.

[NoSheep]

31. He's a fucking puppy for fuck sake.

[bobbolink]

37. But that is so much more important than the people who are suffering in this country.

:grr:

[NoSheep]

32. I nominate Peregrine Took as Bo Obama's personal playmate!

[donheld]

35. Bo deserves better

[Number23]

44. hahaha!!! lololol

Poor Bo... :)

[earth mom]

38. Where did you hear this? Got a link? nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

39. I'm very concerned about how they keep Malia locked in the basement.

And how she's forced to catch rats for her own sustenance.


Where's the change, Obama?

[alcibiades_mystery]

49. They've turned the White House into "Flowers in the Attic," from what I hear!

Don't forget about Obama's idiot half-formed son-twin.

:rofl: Can the OP be any more of a fucking douchebag?

[Greyhound]

40. Why would this be "unrecced"?

It's not particularly newsworthy and may not even be true, but...

[alcibiades_mystery]

50. Because it's fucking stupid beyond measure?

That was good enough for me to unrec this piece of shit OP.

[NeedleCast]

41. You can't possibly expect people to take this seriously....

[xultar]

46. I do. I know PWD and they are a handful until they get older. I hope he sleeps

with the girls and gets to hang out with them and stuff.

I'd hope he wasn't crated.

[blondeatlast]

42. FFS. Sometimes, nothing beats GD for a good laugh (this thread being one of those times). nt

[Missy Vixen]

43. We have a chocolate Lab about the same age as Bo

One of the things the trainer has told us is that our boy should be on a leash, even in the house. He's still learning what's good and what's naughty. (He chewed a hole in the dining room wall the other day, for instance.) When he's following us around, we can put one foot on the leash when he's doing something he shouldn't, make an immediate correction, and redirect him to something more appropriate. He goes to the offleash park as often as we can manage it. He has to do a little (training) work every day, but Labs are working dogs, so this is appropriate.

I've read multiple accounts of Michelle Obama walking the dog. It's hard to believe they'd let those girls have a dog they didn't spend any time with. Mostly, dogs of that age are still being trained. They pull on the leash. I wish we could send them the "Starmark" collar we use with our guy; it's not a pinch collar, but it made a drastic and immediate improvement on the pulling.

Maybe the Obamas clamped down on the photos of the girls and the dog after the peace sign t-shirt incident. If I were them, I sure would.

[PVnRT]

45. Whafuck?

What about the pink unicorns they keep locked in the attic? I hear they drink their blood to stay alive.

[WilliamPitt]

48. (facepalm)

[Vickers]

51. Man, I wish *I* could talk out of my ass...I'd join the circus!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[devilgrrl]

52. Lame

:thumbsdown:

[JVS]

53. I'm sure that the kids spend lots of time with the dog.

Any kids who have just moved to a new town where they don't know lots of people yet and also suffer limited access to the outside world because of security issues are going to do a lot of playing with each other and at home. A dog would be a welcome addition to the group.

[DevonRex]

54. Honey, you need help. Serious help. nt

[JVS]

55. I would say that this isn't GD material, but it doesn't seem to meet lounge standards of coolness.

Can we get another forum for pure crap?

[lunatica]

56. I've seen photos of Bo trotting into the Oval Office dragging his leash

The dog is fine.

[AspenRose]

57. I wish I could shake the idea that this will turn into a "some say" accusation

e.g. "SOME SAY the Obamas abuse their dog."

"SOME SAY Bo is kept in a crate all day long."

This is how these things happen....

Oh, and here's a picture of Bo en route to Camp David for the 4th of July holiday

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. We kennel trained our dog and I would strongly recommend it

Many dog trainers and vets recommend it.

This is a silly complaint, IMO.

[blondeatlast]

61. It's a sanity saver for the dog and the owner.

Our dog has a secure place she can go to when we aren't home. She goes voluntarily now plus it's where she sleeps at night; great for Sasha and my son both.

[yui]

62. On the contrary...

As this brief article explains, the official WH pet wrangler laments he doesn't get as much doggie time because the Obama's take care of Bo!

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/07/29/obamas-take-hands-on-approach-with-bo.html

[Maine-ah]

63. unrec'd

1. OP has no proof and provides no links
2. OP has not replied, looks like hit and run post

[Mrs. Overall]

64. Were you this concerned about Barney? I worried that Barney was exposed to Laura's second hand smoke

or that he might lap up spilled beer on the floor. Remember when he bit the reporter? That concerned me, too.

For some reason I find myself worrying less about Bo than Barney.

[KDFW]

71. You don't remember the horror when Dubya dropped Barney on the tarmac?

Must have been 500 OPs on that one (yes I've lurked for years)

[KDFW]

65. Well, I see you're being insulted, savaged and flamed for being concerned about a doggie.

...

[rvablue]

67. Flamed and with good reason. There's absolutely no reason to believe this dog is not receiving the

love and attention he needs. The OP is worried that the dog is stuck in a crate all day....based on what? Obviously, only her/his vivid imagination.

Geesh -- what do people want? Daily press releases? A live 24/7 video feed?

[KDFW]

70. I want a BoCam

and I want it right fucking now.

[rvablue]

68. Bo's got his own Twitter feed. You should sign up for it. Then you can follow his every

move and thought.

[PretzelWarrior]

69. you have serious issues.

[mamaleah]

72. Leashes are not cruel. Crate training is not cruel. Know what is?

Unleashed dogs, even the best trained, that get distracted and run out into the road and get hit. Unleashed dogs that run up to small children meaning to be friendly and knocking them over in their exuberance, and then the dog getting hauled to the pound for 'attacking". Those things are cruel.

Stupid dog owners are cruel. Those that are dumb enough to think their dog could not possibly ever be distracted enough to run into the roadway or jump up on unsuspecting pedestrians.

Crate training is not cruel. Cruel is a dog that is so out of control tearing up your house while you are at work that you have to give them up. That's cruel.

Proper handling and training is not cruel....the consequences of not properly training or handling your dog are.

[iamthatiamtatsat]

74. Hi! Have you heard some rumor? I have seen people on the streets

with dogs who are walking them, but I just figured that some breeds are more energetic than others...Never would I think that it means they are locked up all day and trotted out after dinner. I hate the idea of cages or kennels.