As the world now knows what dog Sasha and Malia Obama will be getting for the White House, the Associated Press decided to look into whether or not President Obama abided by his campaign promise to adopt a shelter dog. Here’s what the wire service found:

WASHINGTON (AP) – Is Bo a rescued dog or not? Did President Obama keep or break a campaign promise in picking the purebred as the family’s new pet?The twists and turns of the Portuguese water dog’s journey to the White House make for the kind of intrigue that political junkies and the highly opinionated dog world delight in.

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said during the presidential campaign that they had promised their two girls a dog after the election, and they repeatedly said they wanted it to be a rescued dog such as one from a shelter. Their search was complicated by daughter Malia’s allergies, which would rule out many of the “mutts” the president has said he would prefer.

Experts say that there’s really no such thing as a hyoallergenic dog, and I doubt that Bo — who seems to have more hair than Chewbacca — qualifies as one. Anyway…

Enter Bo, a 6-month-old puppy given up by his first owner and matched with the Obamas through his breeders. Because he was given up by his first owner as a poor fit and is now with his second owners, the Obamas, but never spent time in a shelter or with a rescue group, Bo is a “quasi-rescue dog,” says Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States.

Here’s where the intrigue comes in:

—Bo’s breeders happen to have bred Sen. Edward Kennedy’s Portuguese water dogs. The Massachusetts Democrat, an Obama friend and political ally, also acquired a pup from Bo’s litter. Bo’s breeders are fans of Obama and named Bo’s litter the Hope and Change litter.

—Bo’s first owner lives in Washington.

—Bo was returned to the breeder in early March, fitting the spring timeline the Obamas had given for their dog adoption.

—Kennedy and his wife Victoria helped line Bo up with the Obamas. Before moving into the White House, the pup spent nearly a month with the Kennedys’ dog trainer in Virginia.

 The dog just happened to come from Ted Kennedy’s breeder, happened to have a first owner that lived in the nation’s capital, and happened to be given up in time for the Obamas to adopt him? And then he was trained for a month by Kennedy’s dog trainer? A bit unusual, no? Don’t be surprised if the Obamas are trying to pass off a bred dog as a rescue by having it go to someone else until they can adopt it. 

So, how is the Humane Society reacting to the news?

The Humane Society’s Pacelle acknowledged that the Obamas never flat-out promised to get a dog from a pound or rescue group. And the society has kind words for Obama on its Web site: “Thanks, Mr. President, for giving a second-chance dog a forever home,” it says.

“He’s in a gray area,” Pacelle said of Bo. “But I will say that many animal advocates are disappointed that he (Obama) didn’t go to a shelter or breed rescue group, partly because he set that expectation and because so many activists are focused on trying to reduce the number of animals euthanized at shelters, and there’s no better person to make the case to the American public that you can get a great dog from a shelter than the president.”

If Pacelle and his organization sound a bit apologetic for Obama, don’t be surprised. The Humane Society endorsed President Obama during the campaign, while Pacelle has donated thousands to Democratic causes, including the National Organization to Retain the Majority. Obama seems to have quite a bit of leeway from the Humane Society.