I am proud that one of me is living in the White House. It's quite a rise for a breed that didn't make it to the U.S. until the 1970s and that was only recently recognized by the American Kennel Club.
But the other day, I was struck by the liability of having a Portuguese water dog as First Dog. Since most people don't know a lot about my breed, they may judge me based on what they hear about Bo. So when Bo offered the White House press corps a photo op a week or so ago, I was all eyes.
The photo op went like this: Bo's two handlers -- these were paid dog staff and not Michelle, the president or the girls -- had Bo out on the White House lawn. He was immediately surrounded by a gaggle of media (or is it a herd?), all squatting on the ground pointing cameras at him. Intrigued by the mic attached to a TV camera that was coming in close on him, Bo started playing tug-of-war -- a favorite Portie game -- with the mic sock. Trouble is, Bo lost. Yes, he's just a puppie, but give me a break. How hard is it to strip a mic sock from an inanimate camera?
After getting over the embarrassment reflected on my breed, I started thinking about this photo op thing. When Barney was First Dog, he always appeared with the president or Laura -- not hired handlers. Then I remembered -- this president promised to create thousands of jobs in D.C. Expanding the White House staff is one way to keep that promise.
My next thought was about all these "news" crews willing to step in dog poo to get a few shots of -- a dog. Yes, Bo is cute. All Porties are. But come on, he's a dog. On a lawn. Get a life!
I don't need to know what kind of dog food he eats. Who makes his collars. What his favorite treat is. If he has a favorite toy. How many times a day he relieves himself. Knowing that about Bo wouldn't make me any cooler than I already am. And it sure isn't going to change the way I live.
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