Obama honours campaign promise

President Barack Obama's family have chosen a Portugese water dog for the White House, according to officials.

WASHINGTON // It's decided: the Obamas have chosen a six-month-old Portuguese water dog to be the first pet. In what was one of the White House's most tightly kept secrets, US President Barack Obama's daughters, Malia,10, and Sasha, 7, have settled on a black and white pup, a White House official said last night. The dog, a gift from Ted Kennedy, the Massachusetts senator, who owns several Portuguese water dogs himself, will make his big debut on Tuesday afternoon.

The Washington Post reported in its online editions on Saturday night that Mr Obama's daughters chose the name Bo for the pup because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley. The name for the dog was an apparent reference to the singer Bo Diddley. White House aides said that the office of the first lady arranged an exclusive deal on the dog story with the Post. The officials said the dog was not in the White House as of yesterday evening. Throughout the day yesterday, celebrity web sites and bloggers had been abuzz with rumours 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, for his part, earlier had embraced the frenzy: "Oh, man, now, that's top secret," Mr Obama joked on Friday to reporters. Mr Obama promised his daughters a puppy during the campaign. "This is Washington. That was a campaign promise," Mr Obama said when he appeared on Jay Leno's talk show last month, as the audience roared with laughter. "No, I'm teasing. The dog will be there shortly." The president and first lady had said their choice was down to either a Portuguese Water Dog or a Labradoodle because they were considered good pets for children who have allergies, as Malia does.

* AP