Obama girls get First Puppy

Not since the Watergate scandal has the Washington Post had a scoop like this: Barack Obama and his family have finally chosen the First Puppy and, as widely predicted, it is a Portuguese water dog. The breed was chosen for the President's daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, largely because it does not shed and will therefore be less likely to aggravate Malia, an allergy sufferer.

The dog - which has been named Bo - is a gift to the family from Senator Edward Kennedy, who owns three water dogs himself. He is six months old and mainly black but for a white chest, white paws and white goatee.

He was bred in Texas and sold as a new-born puppy to someone who named him Charlie and then returned him because he was too boisterous. However, Kennedy has promised the Obamas that the breed is a "perfect fit" for the First Family: water dogs show a "can-do and hopeful spirit" and are smart, resilient and tireless.

Bo is due to be unveiled on Tuesday, but news of his appointment was leaked over the weekend to the Post, which was able to report that he was introduced to the Obamas at a secret meeting a few weeks ago. After receiving good behaviour lessons at a secret location beforehand, Bo made no "toileting errors" and refrained from chewing the furniture.

What is not certain is how he will behave in the First Lady's new vegetable patch: with the help of children from a local Washington school, Michelle Obama has just planted the first fruit and vegetable seedlings in what is intended to be a 1,100 sq ft kitchen garden in a corner of the extensive White House grounds.