Earlier this week we told you that President Obama had taken Bo Christmas shopping and that they picked out a bone and chew toy for the First Dog. There is still no word on whether Bo got to partake in some pizza back at the White House but controversy now clouds what seemed like the President just trying to have a day with his dog. The issue stems from a report saying that Bo was to make the trip to Hawaii with Michelle and the children and wait for the President there. A paper even reported that the dog was seen on the Island BEFORE the the First Lady and the children arrived.
That led people to think that the Bo seen in Washington was either a stand in for photo ops or that he was flown all the way from Hawaii for the event. While hopping in the plane to fly cross country is usually not an issue for a dog it is when it comes to the Hawaiian Islands. The only state in the US that is Rabies free and therefore has quarantine rules that must be followed. Hawaii’s dog and cat import law is designed to protect residents, visitors and pets from the potentially serious health problems associated with the introduction and spread of rabies. All dogs and cats regardless of age (puppies and kittens included) or purpose, must comply with Hawaii’s dog and cat import requirements. For the list of rules and regulations for an immediate release into Hawaii you can visit http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqsbrochure.pdf That seems like a lot of hoops to jump through just to get a picture with the dog in Washington. I am sure they have pet stores in Hawaii that Michelle and the Children could have gone to with Bo to pick out some presents. If it was all about the photo there are a ton of things the President could have been “seen” doing or invited the Vice President or some other high ranking official and their dog for a play date.
Then there is the theory that Bo is still in Hawaii and never left the Island once he arrived and has been enjoying the sun on his face and sand beneath his paws. He seemed to be have had a great time last year in Hawaii with the family that it would be silly to take him from cold Washington to warm Hawaii back to cold Washington and back again all for a photo shoot with the press corp.
Conspiracy theorists believe that there are two Bo’s one that lives with the family and one that goes out only for photo opportunities. That seems a bit ridiculous to me and would take a ton of coordination to make sure that Photo Bo is out and about at a time that family Bo does not need to go out to the bathroom or will not be playing with the girls and cannot be photographed walking passed a window.
Bo was a present for the Obama children when their dad became President. It wasn’t a political move or a move to gain votes or anything else. It was a family decision.
Here is a video of Bo playing with the children in Hawaii last year:
It would have been better if he took Bo to a store other than petsmart. How about a local family owned store!
Sara, maybe he went to Petsmart for the same reasons most of us do. Bo is the family dog, not a propaganda tool.
Bo is also a Portuguese Water Dog, which means not only are there thousands of dogs that really do look exactly like him, but the average person would have difficulty distinguishing him from a poodle in a puppy cut, or dogs of a few other breeds that have curly hair and come in black. The supposed “eyewitness” sighting in Hawaii before the family even arrived is a Clue, indeed, but not to scandalous behavior on the part of the Obamas. I have a powderpuff Chinese Crested; my friend has a Maltese and a Briard. When we are out with all three dogs together, people routinely assume they are the same breed, ask if the Maltese is the puppy of the Briard, etc.
Also, the room-temperature-IQ individual who is pushing this theory admits that she has no idea if it’s true, and that even if true, flying Bo back to Washington would have cost the taxpayers exactly nothing, because there was a military plane that had to (and did) make the return trip anyway. Nevertheless, she still thinks someone should be fired over it.
The White House has also stated that Bo did not make the trip to Hawaii.
The President, alone during the week before Christmas because the House Republicans threw a hissy fit about accepting a compromise overwhelmingly approved by Senate Republicans and prevented him from accompanying his family to his home state for the holiday as originally planned. He took a couple of hours out for a shopping expedition with the family dog, who can’t make the Hawaii trip at all because of the quarantine laws.
And idiots are attempting to manufacture a scandal.