Bo Obama - The Most Famous Celebrity Pet

This photo is the official portrait of the pet of the Obama family, the First Family of the United States, Bo Obama, a Portuguese Water Dog, on the South Lawn of the White House.

It was revealed on April 11, 2009 that the First Puppy Bo, the dog given to US President Barack Obama's two daughters Sasha and Malia by Senator Ted Kennedy (Edward Kennedy), was a Portuguese Water Dog. The girls have named the dog Bo since their cousins had a cat of the same name and because First Lady Michelle Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley after the late musician Bo Diddley. The Obamas chose PWD because Malia has allergies and PWD is hypoallergenic, as claimed by pet lovers.

When President Obama announced he was looking for a dog for his daughters Sasha and Malia everyone sent in suggestions about what he should go for. Obama eventually accepted Bo as a gift from Edward Kennedy.

Incidentally Ted Kennedy (Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy, February 22, 1932 - August 25, 2009) was the owner of three Portuguese Water Dogs named Splash, Sunny and Cappy. Splash had served as the fictional narrator in Kennedy's children's book, My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington D.C.

Portuguese Water Dogs

The Portuguese Water Dog (Cão de Água Português with nicknames Portie, PWD, Water Dog) is a breed of working dog, originally from Portugal’s Algarve region, from where they spread to all around Portugal's coast and later to other parts of the world. In Portugal, the breed is known by names like Cão de Água, Cão de Água Algarvio, or Cão Pescador Português. Cão de Água de Pêlo Ondulado is the name given the wavy-haired variety of water dogs, and Cão de Água de Pêlo Encaracolado is the curly-coated variety.

PWD is a rare breed, a bit costly to be taken care of, non-shedding, and it requires extensive grooming and upkeep as its coat grows as does human hair. Like poodles and other water dog breeds, PWDs are highly intelligent, have webbed toes for swimming, black eyes, and their coats can be black, brown, black and white or brown and white.

As the hair on a PWD keeps growing indefinitely, they must be trimmed every two months and the coat brushed every other day. In addition to grooming costing $75 to $100 a session, this breed of dog requires daily exercise and consistently firm yet positive training techniques.

PWDs are quick learners, have sharp memories, they seem to enjoy the training process, and have lasting memory for instructions, the names of objects and people. Some PWDs may walk, hop, or dance on their hind legs when greeting people.

There are many theories on the origin of PWDs. One such theory claims that some of the dogs left the Asian steppes with the German tribes Goths, while the Ostrogoths went west and their dogs became the German poodle. Some others like the Visigoths went south to fight the Romans and their dogs became the Lion Dog. In 400 CE, the Visigoths invaded Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal, then known as Hispania) and the dogs found their homeland there.

The Portuguese Water Dog had its first description in 1297 in a monk’s account of a drowning sailor who was pulled out from the sea by a dog with a "black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the first rib and with a tail tuft".

In modern times, Deyanne Miller is the person most responsible for the popularization of the PWD in America. In 1972, the Millers, along with 14 other people, formed the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America Inc. (PWDCA). She worked with dogs from both the Cintron and Cabral lineages to establish a sustained genetic pool of PWDs in the United States at her Farmion kennels. Another early US breeder of PWDs was actor Raymond Burr.

Paris Hilton & Tinkerbell in Reliance Mobile’s mobile game

Paris Hilton & Tinkerbell, originally uploaded by C♥naa Photografies®.

Paris Hilton, the American socialite, occasional actress, model, singer, author, television personality, activist, businesswoman and hotel heiress, is quite often described as “famous for being famous”. Well don’t worry about the list of her professions or careers, if you take a little time of your busy schedule, you can find a dozen more about her professions.

Anyway, it will be quite happy news for mobile users and games enthusiasts in India because Anil Ambani’s Reliance Mobile is launching a new mobile game based on Paris Hilton in the Indian market in collaboration with Gameloft, if the buzz going on the Internet is to be believed. Diamond Quest is the earlier one that featured Hilton.

Apart from Hilton, her female accessory dog Chihuahua named Tinkerbell will also feature in the game, it is expected. Anything without Tinkerbell cannot be complete in the stories about Paris Hilton. She used to carry Tinkerbell to all the social occasions and functions she attended. She carried Tinkerbell in all the five seasons of the TV reality show The Simple Life.

Though by birth she is famous as one of the heirs of Hilton Hotels, there are many people who argue that Tinkerbell made her more famous. The pocket-sized pet dog herself is a celebrity female, as it captured news headlines sometimes as much as Paris Hilton. For the knowledge of the uninitiated, in 2004 Tinkerbell authored a memoir, “The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries’.

In 2004 Tinkerbell was missing in the aftermath of a burglary at Hilton's apartment. Immediately Paris Hilton announced a reward of US$5,000 to anyone that helped Tinkerbell’s return home. The dog was found six days later. And Tinkerbell was regularly spotted again with Paris Hilton at various events.

As you know Paris Hilton is one of the American celebrities whose photos can be seen the most in photo sharing sites and in sites for wallpapers and celebrity photos and videos. Interestingly, Tinkerbell is seen in most of her interesting photos.

Hilton had appearances of bits and pieces in some Hollywood movies, the most noted one being in The House of Wax. She is also known for Hilton Records, Paris Hilton Perfumes and many more profitable ventures, apart from her much reported leaked tapes, sightings on beaches, etc., but she has the additional advantage of making pets more fashionable and promoting pet apparels and accessories. She is also associated with many charities and goodwill initiatives.

Whatever one may write about Haris Pilton, all ventures she was associated with were quite successful. So, the Reliance Mobiles mobile game being introduced in India is going to be quite popular and a great success, more so as Tinkerbell is likely to star in the game. Read for more stories on Paris and Tinkerbell in A happy ending for Tinkerbell (CLICK on the link) from USA Today.

Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton with pets