[2] President Barack Obama and his family were given the male Portuguese Water Dog as a gift after months of speculation about the breed and identity of their future pet.

[2][8] The final choice was made in part because elder daughter Malia's allergies dictated a need for a hypoallergenic breed.

One of Bo's nine litter mates was Senator Ted Kennedy's dog named Cappy (Amigo's Captain Courageous).

On April 12, 2009, it was announced that the Obamas would soon accept a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog puppy as a gift from Senator Kennedy.

[24][25] In June 2009, the White House released a baseball card for Bo with his new official portrait on one side and tongue-in-cheek statistics on the other.

He was unsuccessful in his first home when plans for him to provide companionship to an older female dog went awry; apparently, his attempts to suckle irritated her.

[34] The Humane Society of the United States released a statement thanking the Obamas "for taking in a second-chance dog" but discouraged employing breeders.

[39] Immediately upon Bo joining the First Family, four children's books and a plush toy depicting him were slated for publication or manufacture.

[40][41][42] On July 17, 2009, Ben Greenman, writing in The New York Times as Bo, reflected on his first hundred days in office.

[46][47] Bo appeared in the comic book Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers and on the television shows Late Night with Seth Meyers and Ellen.

On Meyers' show, Bo was the subject of a "Barney Cam" parody in which he is shown to be shamelessly manipulating White House staffers and guests (such as by finding and planting cannabis in the bag of a speechwriter who refused to give him treats).

[49][50][51] On January 8, 2016, a man named Scott Stockert from Dickinson, North Dakota, was arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap Bo after United States Secret Service Agents discovered a 12 gauge pump action shotgun and a bolt action .22 caliber rifle on the back of his pickup truck.