New Bo Obama Picture
Apr 23rd, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
Germans love Bo Obama! Portuguese Water Dogs sell out.
Apr 23rd, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
Well, we all know that Germans love David Hasselhoff. But now Hasselhoff is going to have to share the love.
Enter President Obama’s new dog, Bo.
Boom
The president’s decision to get a Portuguese Water Dog for his family has resulted in a boom in demand for the breed. At least in Germany.
The German newspaper Bild reports that the breed has sold out in the country and interest in the dog “is out of control.”
“My phone has not stopped ringing and I have had at least 100 people call me!” one breeder told the paper. “Everyone wants puppies, but there are hardly any in Germany at the moment.”
Surprising? Well, perhaps Bo Obama didn’t know how popular he would be once donning the title of First Dog. But it was certainly something expected in the US.
Domestic
Just this morning, animal behaviorist Terry Jester wrote, “I hope the Portuguese water dog breeders are gearing up for what will be a huge surge in the demand for puppies.”
Dr. Jana Kohl, an animal-rights activist who featured President Obama in a book promoting pet adoption, predicted a run would happen — especially with the president’s decision to opt out of his campaign promise to get a dog from a shelter and go the breeder route instead.
“This will fuel the breeding industry, which will fuel the puppy mill industry, which will increase homeless dogs at shelters, and increase the numbers of dogs euthanized every year,” she said.
Kohl has since said she felt betrayed by the president’s decision not to adopt.
Obama accepted a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo from Senator Ted Kennedy. Bo originally came from a Texas-based breeder.
Economy
Monitor economics writer Laurent Belsie said it could be looked at as one of the few bright spots in the world economy.
“This could be the first result of an Obama stimulus plan that’s working,” he joked. “The nation that leads the way in the production of Portuguese Water Dogs may be the next economic superpower. Forget green energy.”
By Jimmy Orr
Christian Science Monitor
Bo Americas Commander in Leash
Apr 20th, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
Scenes fromBo-America’s Commander In Leash Photo: AP Photo/Mascot Books
A deal has already been done to publish “Bo America’s Commander In Leash”, a children’s book that is due to be released next week.
According to Mascot Books, the publisher, the book will follow “Bo on an exciting adventure as he learns all about the White House and experiences the traditions that make it such a special place.”
Mr Aryal told the New York Times he and Mr Moore had been working on the project for about two months, leaving space for pictures of the dog, once it was chosen. He added that the Obamas’ two daughters Sasha and Malia are not named in the book because he wanted to protect their privacy.
Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, was given as a gift to the Obamas by Mr Kennedey. The senator has three of the breed himself.
As Bo was welcomed into the White House, the Kennel Club reported a 125 per cent increase in the number of people asking about the breed in recent months. It said it received 1,646 calls in the last five months about the breed, a rise from 730 calls for the same period the previous year.
Mr and Mrs Obama made $2.7 million (£1.8 million) last year. Nearly all of their earnings last year came from the president’s own two best-selling books – Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope, which brought the Obamas nearly $2.5 million in royalties.
White House connection: Bemidji dog is half-sister of Obama family’s Bo
Apr 20th, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
A Bemidji family has a White House canine connection.
Ruby, a 2-year-old Portuguese water dog owned by Julie Quanrud and her husband, Ric Meixell, is the half-sister of President Barack Obama’s new family dog, Bo.
“I was suspicious because the muzzle is the same,” Quanrud said, adding that she became even more suspicious when she saw the Obama family’s dog had the exact same white markings as Julius, a full sibling of Ruby’s.
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| Ruby, a 2-year-old Portuguese water dog who is a half-sister of President Barack Obama’s new family dog, Bo, poses with her owners, Julie Quanrud and Ric Meixell of Bemidji, and their children, Emily and Jack. Pioneer Photo/Laurie Swenson | ||
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After discovering that Ruby and Bo have the same father — Valkyrie’s Dr. Watson Is Here — Quanrud received about 20 e-mails Tuesday afternoon from fellow members of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of the Twin Cities who saw reports of the presidential pooch and knew Ruby’s lineage.
“To think that this dog is lying on the carpet in the White House right now, and we’re sitting here with his sister, is pretty wild,” Quanrud said.
“I will do whatever it takes for the (Democratic) party,” she joked.
Bo, who is 6 months old, was a gift to Barack and Michelle Obama’s daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, from Sen. Ted Kennedy and his wife, Victoria, who also own Portuguese water dogs. The non-shedding undercoat addresses Malia’s allergies.
“I think the fact that Barack Obama picked this dog says a lot about (the family),” Quanrud said, adding that Portuguese water dogs are casual, highly social and not fussy. “I think Bo is an excellent choice for the Obamas, because he will get plenty of attention in every way.”
Ruby’s mother, Breezy, lives in Minneapolis with breeders Beryl Nord and Tom Kaiser and is rated one of the top Portuguese water dogs in the United States. Quanrud and Meixell co-own Ruby with Nord and Kaiser.
“After many years of research on this breed, we feel very lucky to be chosen to have Ruby,” Quanrud said.
While Bo is a good fit for the Obama family, a Portuguese water dog might not be right for others, and Quanrud is concerned that the breed’s presidential popularity could induce people to seek the dog for the wrong reasons.
“When you pick a dog like this, you have to realize they’re always going to be with you,” she said. “This dog is not for everyone and needs a lot of attention to be happy.”
Quanrud said it’s important that prospective dog owners research what type of dog would best fit their lifestyles.
“We are absolutely in love with our dog, but the Portuguese water dog is not for everyone,” she said. “(They are) extremely social and attached to their owners.”
Portuguese water dogs, which can swim up to five miles, were bred to work with fishermen in the ocean, Quanrud said, adding that the dogs pulled fishing nets out into the sea and even herded fish into the nets. Bred to understand and respond to many commands, the dogs were also trained as lifeguards and delivered messages from ship to ship, she said.
“The more I know about dogs, the more fascinated I become,” Quanrud said. “Dogs are the only creatures that have been bred for specific purposes as helpmates to humans. Each breed has specific traits, both physical and personality, that through the years helped humans with different tasks. Knowing these traits when choosing a breed is very important.”
Quanrud, who works with injured workers, first saw a Portuguese water dog about seven years ago while visiting a client in his home.
“I could not believe how talkative and interactive this dog was with his owner,” she said. “I thought it was the smartest dog I had ever seen.”
“She is a very determined person,” Meixell said, smiling. “She basically started saying over and over she was going to get a Portuguese water dog. When she says it over and over, it happens. Otherwise, I get no rest.”
Becoming the owner of a Portuguese water dog takes time, Meixell said, adding that the interviews and background checks are rigorous, comparable to the process of the adoption of a child.
Ruby was the one who chose Quanrud, Meixell said.
“This dog, she wouldn’t leave me alone,” Quanrud said of the then-5-week-old Ruby. “It was like she picked me.”
Quanrud explained that the breeder matches puppies with owners based on personalities.
“She’s an outgoing dog, but Julie’s an outgoing person,” Meixell said. “I think Beryl noticed they had similar personalities.”
“She’s been very instrumental in helping us,” Meixell said of Nord.
“She’s like our dog mentor,” Quanrud said.
Ruby became an AKC champion very quickly last year, Quanrud said. “She had to do that before she could ever have puppies. That was in our contract.”
Quanrud previously had a corgi that was a therapy dog. “She worked with me in a hospital for severely injured and ill children,” she said.
“As I got to know more about the (Portuguese water dog), I came to believe this would be a very good candidate as a therapy dog, especially for children with autism.”
Quanrud and Meixell hope to breed Ruby within the next year, and Quanrud’s dream is to train the dogs as service dogs for autistic children.
“I believe that the extreme interactive nature of these dogs would assist with therapy around communication and safety issues,” she said.
Ruby has a very playful and friendly personality. She plays hide and seek, cuddles and often “talks” in a voice that resembles Scooby-Doo. She knocks on doors and brings a brush when she wants her soft, curly black fur brushed. She does not shed, but still needs to be groomed and clipped.
“Ruby, because of her breeding, is very attentive to our words,” Quanrud said. “She has the absolute need to be by your side watching you for commands.”
“I love her – she is just the most amazing dog,” said 16-year-old daughter Emily as she sat on the floor with her brother, Jack, 10, and petted Ruby. “She feels like a human.”
Quanrud pointed out that Portuguese water dogs are versatile and have a range of personalities. “Not all of them are like Ruby,” she said.
“The best thing about the breed is its versatility,” Jean Hassebroek, corresponding secretary of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, said in a news release issued by the PWDCA to encourage prospective owners to research the breed. “PWDs have been full-time sheep herders, R.E.A.D. therapy dogs and a FEMA 1 hero. But they can also be champion couch potatoes, content to just hang out.”
At a minimum of about $1,500, Portuguese water dogs are pricey as well as uncommon.
The family’s other dog is a mutt that cost $50. They figure Reagan, 7, is a border collie-American bulldog cross.
“I love him too, very, very much,” Quanrud said. “I love him just as much as Ruby.”
You could say Reagan also has a White House connection.
“Reagan was very black and white, and so is our dog,” Quanrud said.
Article from Bemidji Pioneer
On the Net:
Portuguese Water Dog Club of America: www.pwdca.org
Portuguese Water Dog Club of the Twin Cities: www.pwdctc.org
Official “first dog” blog entry: www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/12/Meet-Bo-the-First-Dog
6 Ways to Flow Like Bo: Learn About Creativity and Joy from First Puppy Bo Obama
Apr 20th, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
My friend and colleague, Susan K. Perry and I were discussing how Bo Obama, the first puppy, rollicks on the White House lawn in a natural state of joy and exuberance with complete abandon; essentially in a constant state of Flow!
Flow is the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity; wherein time disappears.
It occurred to us that we stand to learn a lot from Bo, so together, we came up with these …
… Six Ways to Flow Like Bo: Learn About Creativity and Joy from First Puppy, Bo Obama.
1. Play Like a Puppy. You may be an adult, but if you access your playful puppy side like Bo, you will find your creativity enhanced many times over.
A playful attitude loosens up the mental connections, which will allow you to combine ideas in new ways, lifts your mood and emotions, boosts your immunity, and it strengthens and intensifies your charisma. (And is not Bo the most charismatic ever?!) Being playful helps you to live in the moment!
2. Sniff Out Novelty. Like an energetic pooch, always seek out new sights, sounds, and smells. The stimulation of novelty keeps you alert and aware and engaged in whatever you’re doing.
Puttering (or playing!!!) in the garden (I’ve got Lemon Thyme growing in my living room!), enjoying the tactile experience of a massage, or just sitting and people watching, taking in the sights, smells and sounds, can relieve boredom!
3. Make Mistakes. That’s how puppies learn, and that’s how creative people learn. Never fret too long over failures. They’re a requirement for growth.
Mistakes a.k.a. failure is the number ONE KILLER of Grand plans and Great Schemes! In all likelihood it started when you were young; you failed at something, maybe got a big fat “F” in school, or failed to get on the cheerleading squad. (Ha! Like I even tried.) Who knows what you failed at, but you did … we all did … and some of us soaked in those feelings from failure and decided consciously or unconsciously in that snapshot of a moment, on a deep level, to protect ourselves at ALL COSTS!
And so I say to you today, let’s turn that all around and “Let’s CELEBRATE failure!”
4. Don’t Store Energy. Just sitting there combating the urge to do something, your body stores the calories you take in, and you get dull. Instead, move around like a healthy animal. Make use of those calories to jolt your body and brain into full alertness. Successful creative individuals take walks or otherwise keep the blood and oxygen moving to the brain. You’ll think better.
Walking stimulates the brain to release endorphins and increases the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin, the body’s natural mood elevator. Literally, walking, romping, moving makes us happy.
5. Appreciate Those Who Care for You. If Bo doesn’t make loving puppy eyes at his new masters, how long do you think they’ll be entranced with him? Everyone likes to be appreciated, so make like a happy pet and show your gratitude.
That sets off a positive cycle of joy that moves easily back and forth between you and your loved ones; those who care for you in any and every way.
Manifesting circles of joy are a wonderful and meaningful way to add an extra boost of energy to our goals and intentions. Knowing you’re supported is a plus for being creative.
6. Learn New Tricks. Stuck doing nothing but sudoku day and night? You may be having a good time, but your brain will benefit by mixing it up. Try another kind of puzzle, if that’s your thing, or take a short course in something utterly new to you.
According to the Department of Neurobiology in the Duke University Medical Center, you can keep your brain nimble and ready for new challenges with neurobics. Neurobics help stimulate the brain’s activity, change the patterns of activity in your brain and create new connections in areas that process sensory input.
Neurobics can be done just about anywhere and at anytime. The trick is to utilize your five physical senses (see, hear, taste, feel, smell) and your emotional sense in unconventional ways. In order to WAKE UP, you want to shake up and break up your mental routine!
Spread the flowing word … NOT the icing!
Janice and Susan
Janice Taylor is the author of Our Lady of Weight Loss and All Is Forgiven, Move On.
Visit Janice Taylor.
Beliefnet Blog
Huffington Post Article
Welcome Bo Obama! The Wonderful Benefits of Animal Companionship
Apr 20th, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
The cat, er, the dog is out of the bag. The “top secret” arrival of the First Dog is finally here! His name is Bo and he is a 6-month old Portuguese water dog.
I have been on Obama Garden Watch for the past few weeks, as those who have followed my recent blogs may know. Well, I have simultaneously been on Obama First Dog Watch, anxiously awaiting the day I could get details on the Presidential Pooch.
Michelle Obama tapped into my passion for nutrition and wellness when she decided to promote healthy and delicious eating with her organic garden. Now as a dog lover and animal shelter volunteer, I can share the enthusiasm of the Obama Family’s first dog — the First Dog.
Many of us know that animals add to our emotional and spiritual well-being. Since we live in a day where just about anything can and is often researched, many studies have demonstrated that having a pet is good for our physical health as well! Apparently, while we are taking care of our pets, our pets are taking care of us.
Studies abound showing that sharing our lives with animals benefits our stress levels, our blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, moods, immunity, fitness levels, the length and quality of our lives, and can even reduce health care costs.
Here are a few highlights of the hundreds of studies showing the amazing benefits of animal companionship:
Cardiovascular Health
Karen Allen, PhD, a medical researcher at State University of New York at Buffalo, reported that dog guardians with hypertension had lower blood pressure readings in response to stressful situations than those who did not have a dog.
Pet guardians were found to have lower levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels in a study reported in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Having a feline companion could reduce your heart attack risk by nearly one third, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Stroke Institute. Queen’s University researcher Dr. Deborah Wells reported that dog guardians were 8.6% more likely to be alive one year following a heart attack than those without a pooch pal.
Health Care Costs
Having a pet seems to help with health care costs.
A study conducted by the United States National Institutes of Health indicated that people who have pets make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions.
An Australian Study showed dog and cat owners make fewer annual doctor visits and are less likely to be medicated for heart issues and sleeping problems than non-pet owners. The study indicated that a presence of pets in a majority of households could result in an annual savings in health care costs between $790 million and $1.5 billion!
Improved Immunity
A Wilkes University study found that petting a dog for 18 minutes resulted in a significant increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), which helps the body protect itself from foreign invaders. One possibility for this increased immune response is a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol.
Benefits to Children
Dr. Sue Doescher, a psychologist involved in a study at Oregon State University, reported that teaching children to care for a puppy increased the children’s cooperation and sharing attributes.
A study reported in Allergy showed reduced risk of allergic responses such as eczema and asthma for children exposed to pets within the first 4 years of life. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported a study that found that exposure to two or more dogs or cats in the first year of life may reduce risk of allergies throughout childhood.
Benefits to Seniors
A study reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported that the physical health of seniors benefited from sharing their lives with companion animals.
A Saint Louis University study reported that nursing home residents had a significant decrease in loneliness after one-on-one visits with a dog.
The health benefits of the human-animal connection have been extensively studied for many years. A lot of the research has resulted in wonderful practical applications. There is a growing number of “therapy dogs,” who “volunteer” to visit patients in hospitals, mental health centers, shelters, and nursing homes. One such program is the POOCH (Pets Offer Ongoing Care and Healing) program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Visits from these caring canines often lift their spirits, calm their nerves, and relieve their loneliness.
The ways that animal companions affect our well being are seemingly endless:
Self esteem
As much as I love my family, and they are happy to see me when I come home, it’s our dogs that show the most excitement, wagging their tails ecstatically, celebrating my arrival — day after day!
Fitness
Dogs can inspire you to get or stay in shape. When you feel like skipping your morning walk, and your dog looks at you with those pleading eyes, you just can’t say no.
Pure Happiness and Joy
Animals are just embodied cuteness; they make us smile and laugh with their precious antics. I constantly marvel at how adorable my two dogs, Charlie and Simba (pictured) are. And I tell them that every day! Most animal guardians talk to their pets, yet few admit it.
Our Social Lives
You can meet the most interesting people walking a dog, volunteering at an animal shelter, or visiting an animal sanctuary.
Good Karma
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
– Gandhi
I know that sharing our lives with animals benefits our spiritual health, for they truly touch our soul. Once you have loved an animal, your heart will never be the same. Rescuing an animal from a shelter and giving it a second chance at life is the best feeling in the world. We often wonder who actually got rescued.
Huffington Post article
Water dogs should come with warnings
Apr 18th, 2009 by Bo Obama Fan
Story Highlights
-Breeders fear too many people will try to get dog like the Obamas’ Bo
-Breeder: Portuguese water dogs are “active athletes,” not couch potatoes
-They are more likely to rip up couch than to lounge on it
-Dogs bond quickly with family and want to be with them all the time
CNN
By Kara Yates
(CNN) — The nation’s new “first dog” has heightened interest in its breed — Portuguese water dog — but not necessarily a thorough understanding of the dogs’ needs, a pair of owners and breeders told CNN.
The dog, Bo, has triggered “the most publicity the breed has ever had since its introduction into the U.S. in the late 1960s,” the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America said in a news release.
President Obama and his family welcomed Bo into the White House this week. Shortly afterward, the club’s Web site was receiving a million hits an hour, said Susan Teasley, a club member.
Jane Harding, a fellow member of the club, said she has “received about a 10 percent increase in calls” since Tuesday, and some of the other breeders she knows also have reported more calls.
“Thankfully, people want to know more about the breed,” Teasley said. “But water dogs are not for everybody, and it would be sad to see people getting the dog without doing the proper research.”
Portuguese water dogs are “active athletes,” far from couch potatoes, she explained.
In fact, they are more likely to rip a couch into pieces than lounge on it, Harding said, recalling a friend who had lost a sofa that way. Watch more water dog fun »
Portuguese water dogs can be miserable and destructive when alone, Teasley said.
And don’t think you can close the door and keep them out. “They want to be with you at all times — even if it’s in the bathroom or your bed,” she said.
Teasley and her husband breed Portuguese water dogs and often allow them to run free on the two and a half acres of land they own. They are “not apartment dogs,” she said.
Harding agreed. “They aren’t for people who want a tie-out dog or an apartment dog. For people like that,” she joked, “we recommend a stuffed dog.”
Portuguese water dogs love the outdoors, particularly if they have a garden to eat from, Teasley said as she wrestled to keep 7-month-old Misty Morning from eating the family’s flowers.
Harding said she believes the first family will be successful with their new dog because “they have access to the best trainers, and they want to make this work.”
For other Americans thinking about following suit, she cautioned, “Buyers beware. Do your homework and first read the information on the breed.”
Teasley wants people to understand the breed to help avoid what she called the “Dalmatian syndrome.”
After the movie “101 Dalmatians” came out in 1996, “thousands of people rushed to get the dog, and thousands of dogs ended up in rescue kennels,” Teasley said.
What those who followed the Dalmatian trend may not have known is that Dalmatians shed profusely and they develop hearing problems, making it hard to train and call them, she said.
Both Teasley and Harding advised owners to get a mentor, as they expect Sen. Ted Kennedy to be to the Obama family. Kennedy owns Portuguese water dogs himself and recommended the breed to the Obamas. Watch Obamas introduce dog »
“For the first six to seven months of the puppy’s life, they need training,” Harding said.
She has diligently trained 8-year-old champion Bessie, who she said “produces phenomenal litters … and has multiple titles” from the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.
Such organizations provide guidance to first-time dog owners. But it takes time to get a membership, Teasley said. Prospective members must apply for a one-year associate membership before they can receive a permanent one, she explained. That provides a cushion while they decide whether the dog is the right fit.
“It sounds like I’m trying to discourage people from getting (a Portuguese water dog),” Teasley said, “But I’m not. We just don’t want dogs to come back because owners don’t know what they are doing.”
Late Night Comedy Show Hosts Talk About Somali Pirates, and Bo the Obama Dog
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