A new study of presidential pets by George Washington University found that during times of economic hardship, having a presidential pet frolicking through the White House is actually a political liability. That hasn’t seemed to be the case with Bo, the popular Portuguese Water Dog that President Barack Obama’s family adopted in 2009, according to Politico. But Bo’s presence online could be a different story.
Surprisingly, Obama’s social-media-savvy campaign has not established a Facebook page or Twitter account under the dog’s name, but that hasn’t stopped them from using the dog as a campaign prop. It also hasn’t stopped others from making various accounts claiming to be the First Dog. There are at least 10 pages claiming to be that of the first pet on Facebook, and on Twitter there are more than 30 accounts for Bo.
The most popula Bo Facebook page has 850 likes and posts with some regularity, although it has slowed down since the winter. The page’s cover photo is of Bo and the president inside a limo, with the words “I ride inside,” a dig at Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who once put his dog in a pet carrier tied to the roof of the car on a family vacation. It also appears that Bo, at least this version on Facebook, is pretty political. Many of the posts are criticisms of Romney, some well thought-out and others that are just plain rude: “I want to bite mitt romney in the face. GRRRRRRRRRRRR,” the dog wrote.
But Bo’s Facebook activity is almost tame compared to Twitter, especially one Bo account that is in full support of the legalization of marijuana.
“I was placed in the #doghouse for a few days for objecting to @BarackObama’s medicinal #marijuana policy,” @FirstPupBoObama wrote.
Perhaps his most entertaining tweet? “Sneaking out to light up on the @WhiteHouse roof with @WillieNelson. #Norml #weed #pot”
But even if his owner is one of the most popular figures on Facebook, Bo is lagging behind some other well-known critters. Lassie is scoring more than 16,000 likes, Smokey Bear is burning it up with more than 63,000 fans, and Morris the Cat tops them all with more than 124,000 likes.
Photo via the White House