Breaking National News: The Obamas Get a Dog

Normally, the only dogs in Washington that make the news are the married ones in Senate caught, um, chasing tail.  That is, until President Obama announced he was getting a canine for his daughters — at which point First Puppy Mania swept the nation.

Many Americans could not sleep at night, wondering “Omigod, what kind of dog are the Obamas gonna get?!”  They tossed and turned, with visions of various hypoallergenic dogs in their head.   Would it be an Irish Water Spaniel?  A — GASP! — Bedlington Terrier?

Thankfully, the citizens of this great nation can finally get a good night’s rest because the dog has been let out of the bag, so to speak:   the Obamas confirmed today they’ve welcomed a six-month-old Portuguese water dog called Bo.

And, as you can see from Bo’s official headshot, congressmen aren’t the only ones getting lei’d in Washington.

The Washington Post reports the girls chose the name because their cousins have a cat named Bo (copycats — literally!) and because Michelle Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley.

The pup came from the same Texas kennel from which Senator Ted Kennedy bought his three Portuguese water dogs, or Porties. The Senator helped facilitate the “re-homing” of this pooch, who was purchased and then returned by another family.

“He’s sooooo cute,” a source told the Post. “It’s very exciting. They had a great meeting.”

Feeding and walking schedules are still being settled on — a “family decision,” the source said. “They’re approaching this responsibly as a family.”

Meaning the Secret Service Agent who draws the short straw gets the pooper scooper.