Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, 52, the trainer who prepared President Barack Obama’s dog, Bo, for life as the first dog, has died.
She died Wednesday of respiratory failure at a Virginia hospital, her ex-husband, Paul Stasiewicz, said Saturday.
Sylvia-Stasiewicz initially had no idea the Portuguese water dog that arrived at her Virginia home two years ago was destined for life at the White House — an experience she described in a recent book.
Vicki Kennedy, the wife of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, had contacted Sylvia-Stasiewicz to ask if she would determine whether the 5-month-old puppy was suitable for a family with children. The Kennedys had previously trusted Sylvia-Stasiewicz with training their dogs, so the request wasn’t unusual.
Besides training the president’s dog and the Kennedys’ three Portuguese water dogs, Sylvia-Stasiewicz also trained former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel’s dog, Figgie.
She lived in Hume, Va.
“For me, it’s always about the dogs,” Sylvia-Stasiewicz told USA Today in 2009.
John Dye, 47, an actor whose career included the role of Andrew, the angel of death, in the long-running television series “Touched by an Angel,” was found dead at his San Francisco home, a medical examiner’s spokesman said Thursday.
Medical examiner’s investigator Charles Cecil said the 47-year-old Dye, a native of Amory, Miss., was found dead Monday.
The Cause of death has not been determined, Cecil said. But relatives said Dye suffered apparent heart failure. Denver Post wire services
