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Michael San Filippo
Phone: 847-285-6687
Cell: 847-732-6194
e-mail: msanfilippo@avma.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2009

Schaumburg, IL

— President Obama officially introduced the latest addition to the White House today, announcing that Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, would be the First Family's pet.

And while they may live in the nation's most famous house, they can still expect the same challenges in introducing a new pet to a home, says Dr. Bonnie Beaver, past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

"A very important part of a new home for a puppy is to get it on a schedule that they can be consistent with over time," Dr. Beaver says. "Now it's hard for the Obamas to do that to a certain extent, but fortunately for presidents' dogs they have staff that have specific duties relative to taking care of the dog. That's going to be very helpful."

Puppies love to chew on nearly anything they can get their teeth on, Dr. Beaver says, and Bo won't have the proper reverence for the presidential slippers or furniture. What he'll need is plenty of supervision and training.

While all puppies bring a bundle of energy into the house, Portuguese water dogs are generally a high-energy breed, meaning Bo will need plenty of exercise. Having active children in the house, like Sasha and Malia Obama, should help keep Bo active.

Bringing an older puppy such as Bo into a house can have its advantages, Dr. Beaver said, if it has been properly socialized and house-trained, as Bo apparently has. Physically, older puppies are more capable of holding their urine for a longer period of time, so they don't need to go out quite as often.

On the other hand, older dogs have had more time to potentially learn bad habits or become more set in their ways, so a change in living arrangements—such as the White House, which has lots of different types of people coming and going—might not be to the dog's liking. In the case of Bo, Dr. Beaver feels he is "still fairly young and has a lot of learning potential," and should adjust fine to the White House.

While Bo is almost certainly assured glowing media coverage over the next few media cycles, Dr. Beaver warns potential pet owners not to become too enamored to the breed or the idea of getting a dog on the spur of the moment.

"The biggest concern we have when any dog hits the news media or a very well-known movie is that the breed suddenly becomes extremely popular," Dr. Beaver says. "There aren't a lot of Portuguese water dogs in the United States, and if there's an overwhelming demand for them, people that don't care how they behave or don't care about their general background will indiscriminately breed them, and then we get a lot of really bad quality dogs, and the breed can actually be ruined for a period of time."

Instead of being swayed by breeds they see on television, people need to research the breeds that are available and think about what type of dog best fits their lifestyle. Dr. Beaver recommends talking with veterinarians and dog owners and reading multi-breed books (as opposed to books on single breeds which might be biased toward that breed).

Dr. Beaver also encourages potential dog owners to visit shelters and consider mixed-breed dogs. "Not everyone needs purebred dogs," she says. "We've got a lot of great dogs that are given up and end up in shelters, too."

A more extensive interview with Dr. Beaver is available as a podcast from the AVMA's home page. In addition, the AVMA has set up a Facebook page where people can post messages welcoming Bo to the White House.