Where's Bo? Meet Mr. Haney

OK, so I've been wondering what's happened to Bo the First Dog?

After a flashy unveiling earlier this month, the Portuguese water dog seemed to vanish from view. 

Where's Bo? Is someone walking and playing with him? Has he destroyed the drapes yet?  

Well now Rachel L. Swarns of the New York Time's Caucus Blog gets to the bottom of the mystery.

Meet Mr. Haney.

Dale Haney, it just so happens, is a White House horticulturalist who has tended every presidential dog since King Timahoe, Richard M. Nixon's Irish setter.

Wow. Some gig, huh?

I must say that Mr. Haney looks a bit distracted in the photo caught above, however. And there's not a lot of walking going on, though Bo is trying his best, straining for freedom.

The news might come as something of a surprise to those who remember President Obama's dog declaration earlier this month. He announced, as he introduced Bo to the American public, that he and his wife and two daugthers would be walking the dog. "We all have to take turns walking the dog," the president said. "We're trying to be responsible dog owners.

Ah, and so the truth comes out. First Lady Michelle Obama admitted to a group of school children recently that Bo woke up the entire Obama houshold with his barking one night last week.

"Oh, he is a crazy dog," she said. "He -- you know, he loves to chew on people's feet."

So for now, it's Bo and Mr. Haney.

The Times said Mr. Haney was unavailable for comment.

Photo: Doug Mills