Bo

pet dog of the Obama family

Photo by: Chuck Kennedy · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:October 9, 2008

Died:May 8, 2021

Age at death:12

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Cancer

Zodiac Sign:Libra

Links

Wikipedia

Bo

pet dog of the Obama family

Biography

Bo (October 9, 2008 – May 8, 2021) was a pet dog of the Obama family, the first family of the United States from 2009 until 2017. President Barack Obama and his family were given the male Portuguese Water Dog as a gift after months of speculation about the breed and identity of their future pet. The final choice was made in part because elder daughter Malia's allergies dictated a need for a hypoallergenic breed. Bo was occasionally called "First Dog". In August 2013, Bo was joined by Sunny, a female dog of the same breed. Bo was named by sisters Malia and Sasha after their cousins' cat, First Lady Michelle Obama's father, also as a reference to the R&B musician Bo Diddley; who had died months before the puppy was born and months before Obama's victory at the 2008 presidential election. Bo's name was also Barack Obama's initials, widely reported as the reason for the dog's name.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Bo”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

The official portrait of the Obama family dog, "Bo", a Portuguese water dog, on the South Lawn of the White House.

Bo, the Obama family dog, stands in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 31, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

A White House Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations Brian Mosteller attempts to protect his shoes as he plays with the Obama family dog Bo in the Cabinet Room at the White House.

President Barack Obama pets Bo, the Obama family dog, after returning to the White House from an event at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md., March 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama, runs away from the family dog, Bo, during a brief break from meetings on the South Lawn of the White House May 12, 2009.

Bo, the Obama family dog, sits in a District of Columbia police motorcade escort car parked on the South Lawn of the White House. Bo jumped into the open car door after First Lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House following a visit to the Marine Corps Base Quantico Toys for Tots Campaign warehouse in Stafford, Virginia.

"Sonya Hebert made this amusing photograph of Bo, the Obama family dog, as he was being videotaped for the Easter Egg Roll, in the East Colonnade of the White House." (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

A frosted cookie in the shape of Bo, the White House "First Dog," lies on a napkin during a Joining Forces Mother's Day event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 10, 2012.