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Obama Mum on White House Dog - 'Top Secret!'*

April 10, 2009 3:49 PM

TraversABC News' Karen Travers reports:

Finally some news on that much anticipated White House dog.

He or she is arriving ... soon! 

But today, President Obama's lips were sealed when he was asked when the first family's dog will arrive at the White House.

"Oh man, that's top secret," Obama said.

Now if you want to read some tea leaves... Obama followed that up by asking the reporters gathered in the Roosevelt Room if any of them would be at the White House Easter Egg Roll, scheduled for Monday on the South Lawn.

"That's big. That's big," he said.

Perhaps the new dog makes his/her grand debut amidst the thousands of excited (and sugared up) children on the South Lawn?

Thursday afternoon at a planting event at the White House vegetable garden, CBS News’ Mark Knoller asked First Lady Michelle Obama when the newest member of the family would arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Soon!” Mrs. Obama said. 

The always-tenacious Knoller followed up: “How soon?”

“Sooon!” the first lady said.

Mrs. Obama told People Magazine in February that the dog would arrive sometime in April, after the family went away on a spring break vacation.

Well, spring break for the Obama girls was several weeks ago and there is still no dog running around on the South Lawn of the White House. The Obamas were traveling in Europe for eight days and just returned this week.

Perhaps the Easter Bunny will skip the eggs and candy this year and deliver a dog instead?

The first lady’s office has remained mum on the topic of the first dog, saying yesterday that there will be no announcements and no new residents moving into the White House this week.

It looks like a rescue Portuguese Water dog is still at the top of list, but spokespeople in the first lady’s office would not commit to that breed.

Mrs. Obama told People Magazine she was surprised at how interested the American public has been in the search for the White House dog.

“One of the things I didn't anticipate is the level of the excitement about the dog. I knew my kids were excited. They've been excited for years. They've even calmed down, because they feel like, ‘They said we're going to get one, so let's just shut up about it,’” she said.

-- Karen Travers

*The story was updated on Friday, April 10. 

April 10, 2009 in Bo-Dacious: The Adventures of the First Dog | Permalink | Share | User Comments (123)

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THIS IS NOT NEWS!!!!

Posted by: SChaos1701 | May 6, 2009 9:48:01 PM

I do not understand...damn if you do, damn if you don't. Was he supposed to
turn Ted Kennedy down after the offer of the dog. He gave a substantial amount to the Washington D C dog shelter since his kids wanted the dog that was offered. I read that he was selfish in naming the dog "Bo" after himself. Well, wrong again...his daughters named the dog after their grandfather (Michelle's dad). what is wrong with the world....why can't people be happy for everyone, and themselves...get a life!!!!!!!!!! He has done more in office in his 3 short months than was done in the last 4 years under Jr.

Posted by: yonna | Apr 13, 2009 4:38:54 PM

Hey Navy,
Guess you were wrong, our Navy Seals are the best of the best! So don't go using a logon of NAVY if you don't stand behind the greatest Navy in the world. Watch out world we still are the #1 super power, even with a president that has no experience, our troops do.

Posted by: bash | Apr 13, 2009 7:59:35 AM

Do any of you screaming for a US rescue of the hostage have any idea how difficult it is to storm a lifeboat with a single entrance on it to save a hostage. I'm a pirate that hostage is at the front of the lifeboat farthest away from the entrance. SEAL's or any one else come in through that entrance and we have 4 AK's pointed right at them, and unless we're willing to give up men till the pirates run out of ammo, there is no way to come in there without someone getting killed. I'm sure the family of the hostage will be pleased and grateful that we tried and were successful in getting him killed in a stupid not really planned rescue attempt. If we didn't care if he lived, then by all means storm that little lifeboat, but until there is a safe way to extract the hostage from that lifeboat, then keep biding time till the chance is there to get him safely.

Posted by: Navy | Apr 12, 2009 10:47:35 AM


Having Kennedy give Obama a gift dog is a good way to avoid the politics of getting a mutt dog from the pound versus getting a pampered pedigreed, as this appears to be.

Kennedy just happened to have a spare Portugese Water Dog, huh?

Posted by: Sigmond | Apr 12, 2009 9:15:42 AM

Is it really so important that the usurpers kids in the White House are finally getting their long longed for dog? Is that really news? Wow! What about the american being held hostage whos life is in danger? I guess that is not as important as this new dog arriving at the White House soon. and the garden they are planting now . How lovely and so sweet of the children to help. Never mind we will have our lovely picnic still and plant our little garden . life is so sweet can't you here the birds tweeting all around us. We are the the elites now and life is so sweet . tweet tweet sweet.

Posted by: throwshoesatobama | Apr 12, 2009 2:07:32 AM

Too bad you choose to cover such drivel as a dog for these people. America is suffering-and Nero fiddles while Rome burns. Enough of the Obama hypocrisy! Let's see him make some change in the economy and get folks back to work.

Posted by: SSS | Apr 11, 2009 9:13:18 PM

Thomas spare us this your BS. It is very easy to open fire on the pirates or even tell them to go to hell but at what cost? The ship captain? Remember the pirates have nothing to lose if they kill him.

Fortunately the DOD is not as stupid as you think.

Posted by: Matt | Apr 11, 2009 8:04:53 PM

The economy is bouncing back because the free market has confidence in Obama and Geithner.

I know the GOP and those who want America to fail are fuming over this.

Posted by: Matt | Apr 11, 2009 8:01:22 PM

Jwench

Spare me your liberal excuse.

The pirate thing started with 4 pirates in a life boat. Thirsty, hungry without any communications and without gas.

Days later, thanks to Obama and his negotiator, guess what they have. Food, water, a satelite phone which they called 4 other ships to assist and the latest....gas.

Oh, and I almost forgot, another hijacked boat with 20 some more hostages and it happens to be an American owned boat!!

There are two kinds of advisors willing to give Obama advice, diplomatical and military. We all know which one he is taking. What is it getting the situation? Nothing but worse.

Posted by: Thomas | Apr 11, 2009 6:26:42 PM

The dog story is only meant to distract from the real news such as bad Obama is doing that media overseas is starting to broadcast it LOUDLY. Europeans know more about our wimp/crook of a president that we in America do now. So Abc continues to aid Obama's Wag the Dog by doing stories about a dog. Truely pathetic ABC.

Posted by: PresGov | Apr 11, 2009 2:03:39 PM

With all that is going on in the world.. all ABC can do is report on a dog?

Who cares

ABC glorifies everything that Obama does, while other media outlets report on real stories that concern the american people.

This is why I stopped watching ABC news again.... they just cannot stay on the real issues, they have to report on a dog.

Posted by: lm | Apr 11, 2009 1:27:06 PM

So much going on in the world and here Americans are more interested in a WH mutt, no wonder the USA is in a financial crisis, and China slowly becoming a financial super house.

Posted by: SJ | Apr 11, 2009 12:58:49 PM

In the interest of U.S. National Security, remember to listen to a barking dog! Why? To you a wireless router may be a wireless router; to any dog under the age of 63 (in human years) it will be construed as object of interest in her or his proof it is not a toy. Objects of interest must be tested with all 4 paws and teeth to the detriment of wireless transmission towers stowed under the table/desk/entertainment console. It may not be a squeaky toy -- but to a 14 inch puppy -- it chews just as good. Put a shoe box over it --- it should work! We know this because we spent 2 hours research all loose connections. Cat got off the hook. Dog is the guilty party. That's just in case we have another major communications outage in the same time span Mobile Me is announcing an unplanned service outage. Puppy and chew toy (rubber coated wireless router) are doing fine now.

Posted by: Wisdom | Apr 11, 2009 12:54:28 PM

" ... beginning to become nauseated with the entire First Family of Miracles."

--> "beginning"?

Posted by: Pants on Fire | Apr 11, 2009 12:07:56 PM

Cute story. How cute is this, Ms. Travers?

Posted by: ghost | Apr 11, 2009 11:33:19 AM

Sadly, in this town, even a "first dog" seems to be of colossal interest. Frankly, there are those of in this town, minority to be sure or just mum about it, who are beginning to become nauseated with the entire First Family of Miracles. Some of us have been more interested in the hundreds of thousands spent on the little soirees held by the Obamas almost on a weekly basis but rarely mentioned during a time of economic crisis - with steak at $100/lb. The fact that this family is getting a dog is nothing in the scheme of things...the WH press corps is merely being patted on the head like "good stewards" and told what to print and why. None of you have a clue what the "real story" is. Would that Paul Harvey could give the rest of the story.

Posted by: DCjournalist | Apr 11, 2009 11:07:38 AM

"an innocent little dog."

Funny: that was Richard Nixon's complaint, more or less.

Posted by: Pants on Fire | Apr 11, 2009 10:26:40 AM

"hummm... Why would the White House lie about Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia?"

Bravo to Jon Stewart for running the tape for those who hadn't seen it. The tape is completely at odds with the ridiculous "bending over the short guy" story put out by Der One's handlers.

That Obama bowed to the Saudi king, but not to the Queen of England is kind of a head-scratcher, but LYING about it is the REAL story.

Posted by: Pants on Fire | Apr 11, 2009 10:22:29 AM

I personally like these stories about what the Obama's are doing personally. I see nothing wrong with the story about getting a dog.

Posted by: Jwench | Apr 11, 2009 7:36:50 AM

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