When the First Lady dies, she wants to come back as Bo, the family’s Portuguese Water Dog.
Michelle Obama explained to ABC News’ Barbara Walters that “He’s got a great life. … He’s got it good.” The president declined to answer the question.
Bo does have it good. He’s got attendants, a loving family, and a magnificent house, he goes on great vacations, and the president picks up his poop. I think Mrs. Obama made a wise choice.
People being reincarnated as dogs has been the theme of at least a couple of movies since the 1990s. There’s Quigley, a 2003 flick about a jerky guy played by Gary Busey, who dies in an auto accident and comes back as a Pomeranian to right his wrongs on Earth. You can watch the whole thing on Hulu. (I could not get past the first 15 minutes, but if you manage, let us know how you like it.)
Preceding that was Fluke, a 1995 film about another less-than-ideal guy who died in an auto accident and was reincarnated as a dog. It’s not a bad film, really — very un-Disneylike, with some excellent moments. Some people love it, so it might be worth a watch.
My favorite reincarnation movie involving a dog is You Never Can Tell. Made in 1951, this enchanting film is reversed from the others. It features a dog who comes back for a while as a man in order to accomplish an important task. The film stars Dick Powell as the “humanimal,” private detective Rex Shepherd, who eats kibble as snacks and is incredibly appealing playing a dog in a human’s body. One review on IMDb calls it “One of the Most Entertaining and Likable Fantasy-Comedies Ever Made.”
You Never Can Tell is not available on DVD (what a shame), but it plays on TV on rare occasions. If you’re interested in watching it now, you can find it on YouTube. It’s a poor-quality version, but better than nothing. One of my favorite fantasy sequences is about Beastatory, and can be found at the beginning of Part II on YouTube.
(The 1980 movie Oh Heavenly Dog had a vaguely similar theme, but does not compare at all.)
How about you, Dogsters? Would you want to come back as your dog? Why or why not? Is there anything you’d like to get changed before coming back? Also, do you have any favorite movies about reincarnation and dogs?
