Blogs and Stories
Bring On the First Dog Controversies!
Charles Dharapak / AP Photo
Sure, it's all smiles for Bo, the first pooch, now. But whether he knows it or not, Barack Obama has entered a cultural minefield, in which everything about Bo—what he eats, where he sleeps, whom he bites—will bring a fierce national debate.
Despite the apparently unplanned leak of an advance picture, Tuesday’s introduction of Bo, the first puppy, was a masterpiece of White House stagecraft. First promised on the campaign trail, evoked in an election-night victory speech, and discussed in increasingly specific detail during the months since, the Portuguese water dog was such a hot commodity by yesterday that for much of the day CNN had a special “Presidential Dog Arrival Soon” graphic up on screens.
For the Obama administration, Bo’s arrival must feel like a PR coup. But notwithstanding yesterday’s cable-news hoopla, the first family may find that pet politics are a lot more complicated than they were when Franklin Roosevelt held Fala, or even in the era of Bill Clinton’s beloved Buddy.
Click Image to View Gallery
This isn’t because we’ve somehow soured on our four-legged friends. Quite the contrary: I’ve just written a book on how Americans today spend nearly three times as much each year on their pets than they did when the previous Democratic president introduced a dog into his own White House family. That $45 billion annual tab means pet owners have a newly vast array of choices on how to feed, house, and nurture their furry dependents. Each of those choices, in turn, is freighted with political significance. Indeed, there’s already online sniping that by not getting a rescue dog, the Obamas have abetted the noxious American puppy-mill industry.
And that’s probably just the beginning. Like their dilemmas over where to send the girls to school, or where to attend church in D.C., the first family’s outings to PetSmart will offer canine Kremlinologists no shortage of analytical opportunities.
For instance, what food will Bo eat? Time was when dogs had just a handful of pet-food choices. Nowadays, the pet market has diversified, with an ever more nutritious array of organic, all-natural, human-grade or raw-meat ingredients at the high end. In the process, the contents of the dog bowl, like the contents of the family fridge, reflect not just basic tastes but broad attitudes about nutrition, the environment, and agribusiness—pretty weighty stuff for something as simple as a puppy’s daily meal.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Bush Is Fun Again!
Michael Schaffer is a writer in Philadelphia. One Nation Under Dog, his book about petmania, the pet industry, and what modern petkeeping says about modern America, is available from Henry Holt. For more visit www.michaelschaffer.net.
Man's Only Friend
Michael Schaffer is a writer in Philadelphia. One Nation Under Dog, his book about petmania, the pet industry, and what modern petkeeping says about modern America, is available from Henry Holt. For more visit www.michaelschaffer.net.
Dogs—So Like Us
Michael Schaffer is a writer in Philadelphia. One Nation Under Dog, his book about petmania, the pet industry, and what modern petkeeping says about modern America, is available from Henry Holt. For more visit www.michaelschaffer.net.
Do Portuguese Water Dogs eat linguiç¡¿
See
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/04/12/bo-obama-first-dog/
Nao.
And do you think the girls care one bit about what you and the other media write? So leave them be - let them enjoy Bo.
hear hear
Nobody with half a brain gives a rap about Bo, or about Michelle's garden, or what school the girls go to.
I understand you you are trying to demean those who are enjoying the First Family, but these are actually the things that inspire an interest in history, the White House and The President in children.
That is a very good thing.
Americans have always had an interest in our Presidents and their families.
Try not to be such a Scrooge.
No, it detracts from judging our leaders on policy and performance by providing a sideshow for those too intellectually deficient to make their determinations based on merit.
Kind of like "American Idol" - glorified karaoke, mostly crappy singers, but people love "the stories."
Ack, phtui.
Bo is cute, no doubt. My concern is, does Obama speak the truth at all?
He went on and on via TV about how he and his kiddies were going to go to the Humane Society and adopt a dog.
Not the first of misleading comments.
I don't care about MO's garden either. She's a phony. Read her college thesis and get a real sense of MO. It's scary.
Oh, give it a rest. They changed their minds. Big deal. The hypocrisy of conservative snipers would be hilarious if it weren't so perfidious.
Unfortunately "with half a brain" doesn't seem to describe a large percentage of the populace any more (sigh).
That is one cute pup, for sure. Porties are great, very friendly and a good choice for a family with children.
It's a dog. Let it play... let the girls play... enough already.
I disagree that Cesar Millan approach is without love and affection. It is specifically because he LOVES dogs that he wants them well behaved, so they and their humans will be safe.
Too many people think yipping, jumping, snippy dogs are cute. They're not. They're neurotic...and dangerous. An out of control chihuahua can do substantial damage to flesh and furniture.
Today is the 3 months anniversary since my beloved pet succumbed to liver failure; one of thos conditions no one ascribed to canines until a decade ago. So a lot has changed, except the unconditional love and devotion of a canine companion.
I'm looking forward to hearing the First Family talk about how much Bo has added to their lives.
Amen -- can't stand the people who think letting their dogs do whatever they want is somehow equivalent to "loving" them... I've grown up with them my whole life, and my mother used to breed and show them, and always the happiest dogs I've seen are the ones who have a firm idea of their rules and boundaries, and their place in the family!
Very true. The only thing less attractive than an ill-trained dog is an ill-trained child.
And jobs. Dogs *love* to have a job. *Any* job.
Apply that same critique to the way children are raised in this country and you begin to get at the root of the whole problem, LOL.
I thought Obama was kidding when he said water dogs were trained to herd fish. But it is true.
[Portuguese Water Dog - were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as courier from ship to ship] http://a.tearn.com/2009/03/portuguese-water-dog-were-taught-to.html
Possibly the plan is to use water dogs in solving the pirate problem, which might not be such a bad idea, since nothing else appears to have worked, and the pirate problem appears to be getting worse.
ROTFLMAO.
So that media circus staged by the Obama's was about PR? Parents exploiting their kids (not to mention a puppy)-no matter who they are--is pathetic.
Every first pet has had media attention. For people like you, it's only a bad thing if it's *this* president's pet. Every child living in the White House has had media attention. You probably didn't think it was exploitation when it was a different president. We don't lock our first families up in jails.
This is a really nice, normal family. If you can't appreciate that, I feel sorry for you.
What is this? Teabaggers for Heartworm?
Sahas, I actually thought Obama was waiting for a stutter in his TV rants to create another layer of smoke and mirrors and we'd all go "ah.." over the puppy and forget the b.s.
do you never shut up? nonconstructive, unimaginative, bland, nonsensical. . . YOU ARE A SUCKER OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER. Examine what you type. At least try to make some sense, then maybe you wont look like such a fool the next time you decide to defend Glen Beck.
Smoke and mirrors... you really have got it all EXACTLY backwards, which is kind of an achievement (although a useless one) of sorts.
To call an Obama speech a "rant" is to become a poster child for misuse of the language.
But then, you've already set yourself up as a poster child for "engage mouth while brain has clutch pushed in", so why not?
"Parents exploiting..."...? What a TOTAL jackass you are! THIS WAS MEDIA DRIVEN, *not* OBAMA-DRIVEN, you twit!
If for some reason Bo is charted into adoption centre, can I be the first in the adoption list?
.........................
http://alexius-locker.blogspot.com/
This is the most rediculous article I've read so far regarding Bo, are you serious about this nonsense? who cares or who's going to scrutinize what this dog eats or where he sleeps? all the excitement about Bo ended on Tuesday; I guess everyone needs their moment in the Sun, try again no one with a life is going to care what Bo eats or where he sleeps these people obviously love this dog and are great parents; I suspect they will take really good care of Bo as any member of their family. Get a life
You can disagree that it's important, but you can't disagree that it's going to happen. Slow news days spawn all kinds of overheated rhetoric on any and all imaginable trivialities... but this piece seems to invite and celebrate those media-misfires when they actually need excoriation and belittlement.
Sorry 'bra'. I thought this was a Dog The Bounty Hunter piece. The dog's missing a mullet. Nice white shoes though. Maybe it's a Pat Boone Pedigree?
It's a joy to see a young family enjoying life. If they are the First Family, we can all enjoy it as well.
This is absolutely the dumbest article I have ever read on The Daily Beast. I read the blog daily, and nothing I have read has come even close in its irrelevance. It is poorly written and formulated. Strike one for the The Beast.
Note that the author is just trying to flog his dog-centered book...
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.