Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz | Obama dog trainer, 52

Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, 52, the trainer who prepared President Obama's dog Bo for life as the first dog, died Wednesday of respiratory failure at a Virginia hospital, her ex-husband Paul Stasiewicz said Saturday.

Ms. 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. Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.), had contacted Ms. Sylvia-Stasiewicz to ask if she would determine if the 5-month-old puppy was suitable for a family with children. The Kennedys had previously trusted Ms. Sylvia-Stasiewicz with training their dogs.

When Kennedy called to check on the puppy a few weeks later, Ms. Sylvia-Stasiewicz reported the dog was perfectly suited for a family with children. Kennedy then confided she and her husband were thinking of giving him to the first family as a gift.

Even before Bo's arrival in Washington in April 2009, the puppy was much talked about. Obama had promised his daughters a dog during his presidential campaign, saying during his election night speech that the girls had "earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."

Ms. Sylvia-Stasiewicz was born in Providence, R.I. In the 1990s, she founded Merit Puppy Training, which focused on training dogs through positive reinforcement. Her experience formed the basis for a 2010 book, The Love That Dog Training Program, which she cowrote with Los Angeles-based writer Larry Kay.

- AP