Obama says trolls were nice to him for the first time when he announced death of dog Bo

Grieving the death of a loved one is always difficult. It’s even more difficult when you have to do it in the public eye. During a recent taping of “The Late Late Show,” former U.S. President Barack Obama got candid about the death of his family’s dog, Bo.

During Monday’s show, Obama told host James Corden how the black-and-white Portuguese water dog had become “a bond for the whole family to give us this fun, furry excuse to go for walks and spend time together and chase after each other.”

“There’s a well-known saying in Washington, ‘If you want a friend, get a dog,’” said Obama. “Well, I got one because I needed a friend during the presidency who would be nice to me no matter what. “

Bo, who died earlier this month after battling cancer, moved into the White House in April 2009, and was immediately beloved within the confines of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition, Obama also opened up about internet trolls saying his and former first lady Michelle Obama’s tributes to Bo, “are the only posts where everybody posted something nice.”

“I can’t tell you how many people said, ‘You know, I think you were the worst president ever but here’s my dog and I really feel sorry for you because I know how close I was with my dog,’” Obama said.

“It actually told you something about how important people’s pets are in their family’s lives,” he added. “As I was reading these comments, it did make me sometimes think, ‘Gosh, if we could be as kind and thoughtful toward each other as we are about our pets, we’d be doing a little bit better.’”

Obama appeared on Corden’s show to discuss his latest memoir “Promised Land,” as well as life after the presidency.

“When you’re president, every morning when you open up a newspaper, or in my case, reading an iPad, every single story is your problem. You don’t go through a story where someone is not thinking ‘what are you going to do about it?’ Obama said “So there’s less stress, less burden and I get a lot more time with Michelle.”

In addition, Obama opened up about his daughters adding, “They have turned into just exceptional young women. I could not be prouder of them, not just because they’re smart and accomplished, but they’re just kind people. They don’t have an attitude.”