One of the promises Barack Obama kept when he began his first presidential term in 2009 was to get a dog for his two daughters, Sasha and Malia. Senator Ted Kennedy gifted him a Portuguese Water Dog, a breed known for its hypoallergenic qualities and tight curls. The girls named him Bo after their grandfather on their motherâs side, known as âDiddleyâ after the rock musician Bo Diddley, and because their cousins had a cat of the same name. Bo did not take long to win the hearts of the American public on visits to childrenâs hospitals, and for his playful attitude to high-profile White House guests. So it was with great sorrow that the American public learned of his death from cancer on May 8, when tributes flooded in to messages posted by the former presidential couple announcing the sad news.