How Obama's dog was vetted before his White House residency

Chicago, Apr 14 (ANI): It's Bo day at Obama residence. The eagerly awaited White House pooch, a Portuguese water dog, joins the First family today.

Bo has a big clout behind him - he's a gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy. But, besides that he had to prove himself worthy through a vetting process.

The pooch's final vetting came during a visit to the White House for a little over an hour in mid-March.

However, Bo's selection comes with some controversy.

When Obama was asked during his first post-election press conference about the dog, he outlined two criteria.

Obama said the pooch had to be hypoallergenic because of Malia's allergies, and "our preference would be to get a shelter dog."

Though the 6-month-old Bo comes from a breed considered hypoallegenic, Bo is not from a shelter. Bo's mother is Cappy, one of several dogs owned by dog lover Kennedy. And Bo is a repurposed pup.

Catherine McCormick-Lelyveld, a spokesman for the first lady, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "They were looking at shelters, but in the end the Kennedys learned of this litter mate of their dog who needed a home and they wanted to give the girls a gift-and here we are!"

Lelyveld further explained, Bo "was previously owned but did not get along with the other dogs in its last house. The Kennedys learned of its availability and got it for the Obama girls." (ANI)