New top dog in the White House

A DOG NAMED BO: A black and white Portugese water dog is the new pet of the US first family.

PRESIDENTIAL PET: The Obama children named their new dog after Michelle's father.

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America's first family has settled on a first pet - a six-month-old Portuguese water dog the Obama girls have named Bo.

The selection was one of the White House's most tightly kept secrets.

President Barack Obama's daughters, ten-year-old Malia and seven-year-old Sasha, picked a black and white pup, a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press on Saturday night.

The dog is a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy, who owns several Portuguese water dogs himself.

The Washington Post reported in its online editions on Saturday night that 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 told the AP that the office of the first lady arranged an exclusive deal on the dog story with the Post. The officials, who demanded anonymity because of the deal with the Post on exclusive details, said the dog was not in the White House as of Saturday evening.

Throughout Saturday, celebrity websites and bloggers were 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 had embraced the frenzy: "Oh, man, now, that's top secret," Obama joked on Friday to reporters.

Obama promised his daughters a puppy during the presidential campaign.

"This is Washington. That was a campaign promise," Obama said when he appeared on Jay Leno's television 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 are considered good pets for children who have allergies, as Malia does.