MEBRO

FACT CHECK #R23KOBIG

06/18/26 · 11:41 PM UTC · 9 SOURCES

“Barack Obama kept a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.”
FALSE ✕

HIGH CONFIDENCE

TL;DR ·This claim is a debunked rumor misattributing a staff salary to a private trainer.

WHAT WE FOUND

High-credibility fact-checkers have determined this claim is false and originated from a viral chain email . While Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz did train the Obama family dog, Bo, she was a private professional based in Virginia and was never a White House employee or on a government retainer . Investigations revealed that the $102,000 figure cited in the claim was actually the annual salary of a specific White House staffer, Christina Tchen, who served as the Director of the Office of Public Engagement and later the Chief of Staff to the First Lady . This salary was publicly listed in a 2009 report on White House staff, and the figure was subsequently misattributed to a dog trainer in various blogs and emails to suggest government waste . Furthermore, there is no evidence that any dog trainer was ever kept on a taxpayer-funded retainer during the Obama administration .

SOURCES

  1. 1 · politifact.comFACT-CHECKER
    PolitiFact | Does Obama have a 'dog-trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense'?

    TIER A

  2. 2 · snopes.comFACT-CHECKER
    FACT CHECK: Did the Obamas' Dog Fly on Its Own Plane?

    TIER A

  3. 3 · nbcnews.comACADEMIC
    Woman who trained Obama family dog Bo dies

    TIER A

  4. 4 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
    Bo (dog) - Wikipedia

    TIER B

  5. 5 · wafflesatnoon.comWEB
    Does Obama Pay Dog Trainer $102,000 at Tax Payer Expense?

    TIER B

  6. 6 · freerepublic.comWEB
    He has done more than any other President before him. Here is a list of his impressive accomplishments (lists 37 examples of Obama's lawlessness.)

    TIER B

  7. 7 · dallasblog.comWEB
    Dallasblog.com, the Dallas, Texas news blog and Dallas, Texas information source for the DFW Metroplex. - DALLAS BLOG - Obama’s Dog Trainer Earns $102,000/Year

    TIER B

  8. 8 · books.google.comWEB
    Soundoff - I. S. Petteice - Google Books

    TIER B

  9. 9 · dailymail.comWEB
    Cruel dog trainers to the rich and famous are convicted of killing 11 dogs at their deplorable $4k canine daycare | Daily Mail Online

    TIER B

VERDICT TOTALFALSE ✕
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