The President's Daughters Receive Their First Dog!

Forget about hunting for Easter eggs. The president's daughters have a much better treat in store this holiday weekend: a new dog!

After months of anticipation, a 6-month-old Portuguese Water Dog named Bo is now calling the White House home.

According to The Washington Post, which published confirmation of the White House dog news Sunday, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, chose the name because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because Mrs. Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, as in Bo Diddley.

The dog is a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, who owns three dogs of the same breed, known for high spirits and said to be a good fit for kids with allergies (such as Malia). Kennedy had been lobbying the Obamas to get a Portuguese Water Dog for months.

The Obamas originally discussed rescuing a dog from a shelter. But valuable and highly-bred PWDs rarely show up at shelters. Bo is said to have lived with a family that decided not to keep him, but that won't likely satisfy animal rescue advocates who wanted the Obamas to take in a stray. To help ease disappointment, according to The Post, the family will make a donation to the District of Columbia Humane Society.
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