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Ending months of intense speculation and secrecy over the type of family dog that the Obamas would get for the White House, they have settled on a six-month-old Portuguese water dog provided by Senator Ted Kennedy.
The dog – which the Obama's two young daughters have named Bo – charmed the family at a secret meeting at the White House a few weeks ago, according to the Washington Post.
The shaggy breed was always a strong contender as Malia Obama, 10, suffers from allergies.
Portuguese water dogs, which do not shed so much hair, are said to be less aggravating to people with allergies.
Mr Kennedy is a big fan of Portuguese water dogs and owns three himself. His wife, Victoria, chatted about their virtues in frequent phone calls with Michelle Obama, said White House sources.
According to some reports, Bo was originally named Charlie and comes from the same stock as the Kennedy dogs.
The puppy had been living with another family but it didn't work out and the Kennedys got him for the Obamas.
Throughout the day on Saturday, celebrity websites and bloggers were abuzz with rumors of the first family's selection of a Portuguese water dog; one site even claimed it had pictures of the future first pet.
The president had embraced the frenzy: "Oh, man, now, that's top secret," Obama joked on Friday to reporters.
President Obama said he promised a puppy to his two children during the election campaign.
Officials would not say when the dog would actually take up residence at the White House.
The children chose the name because their cousins have a cat called Bo and because their mother's father was nicknamed Diddley.
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(Agencies) |
歷經數月的猜測和保密，備受關注的白宮第一犬終于揭曉，參議員泰德?肯尼迪贈送的一只六個月大的葡萄牙水犬被幸運選中。
據《華盛頓郵報》報道，這只小狗被奧巴馬的兩個女兒取名為Bo，它于數周前在白宮的一次秘密會面上引起了第一家庭的興趣。
由于奧巴馬的大女兒、10歲的瑪麗亞是過敏體質，所以這種卷毛的葡萄牙水犬一直是個有力的競爭者。
葡萄牙水犬不怎么掉毛，對于過敏體質的人來說相對安全一些。
肯尼迪議員很喜歡葡萄牙水犬，自己共養了三只。據白宮消息人士介紹，肯尼迪的夫人維多利亞曾在多次的電話交談中向第一夫人米歇爾?奧巴馬談及這種狗的優良特性。
據一些報道稱，Bo原被取名為Charlie，它與肯尼迪家的狗來自同一犬舍。
此前，Bo被另一個家庭所領養，但因相處不夠“融洽”，所以肯尼迪將他送給了奧巴馬一家。
上周六一整天，名人網站和博客上瘋傳第一家庭選定葡萄牙水犬為白宮第一犬的消息，其中一家網站甚至稱其有白宮未來第一犬的照片。
而奧巴馬于上周五在接受記者采訪時回應稱：“哦，天！現在這可是個最高機密。”
奧巴馬曾在總統競選期間許諾兩個女兒給她們養一只小狗。
但有關官員未透露第一犬具體將于何時入住白宮。
奧巴馬的兩個女兒之所以給小狗取名為Bo，是因為她們的堂姐妹有一只貓叫Bo，而且她們外祖父的昵稱叫Diddley（譯者注：與搖滾樂先驅、格萊美終身成就獎獲得者波?迪德雷同姓）。
白宮第一犬挑選歷程:
葡萄牙水犬或將成白宮第一犬
奧巴馬透露“第一犬”標準 混血狗可能性大
貴賓犬將成“美國第一犬”？
（英語點津姍姍編輯） |
