Don’t expect flood of Portuguese water dogs at shelters

Don’t expect to see many Porties following the Obama family’s selection of a Portuguese water dog as first pooch.

“They’re rare, but it will be interesting to see if the breed becomes more prominent,” said Chuck Tourtillott, executive director of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.

“I don’t think I’ve seen one in our shelter. I do not even know if there’s a breeder in this area,” Tourtillott said. “I’m not anticipating a lot of them.”

A dog doesn’t have to move into the White House to make a splash. A movie (“101 Dalmatians,” for example) can bring a breed into prominence. But if the appeal is short-lived, those dogs can wind up in shelters.

“It happens,” Tourtillott said. “I always like to remind people: No matter what they are considering getting, especially if it’s a purebred, research it really well. The Internet has so much good information on breeds. You can learn about their needs, like exercise, and health issues.”

Those Dalmatians (for example again) “can be inclined to have hearing problems.”

His shelter doesn’t get many fallen-from-favor purebreds, though.

“Mostly we getblended breeds,” he said. “We have a lot of fun sometimes, wondering how to describe a dog.”

And he is seen some wondrous mixes. Tourtillott’s ideal example didn’t show up at the local shelter. But the poster pup for this sort of thing, Tourtillott said, might be a dog that belonged to an acquaintance: “A Great Dane and basset mix.”

from: http://columbian.com/article/20090427/NEWS02/704279981/-1/NEWS

by sunrise.seven

Portuguese Water Dogs: First the White House, then the New Yorker Cover

Posted on 21 November 11 by Master

Portuguese water dogs have a lot going for them. Expressive brown eyes. An adorable mop-like coat. A puppyish air, no matter the age. And, as of last week, a dog bed in the White House. See the April 27, 2009 cover of the New Yorker

Formal Name of the Obama Dog

Posted on 19 November 11 by Master

The formal name of the Obamas’ new dog is “Amigo’s New Hope” . That’s the registered name of the new first dog, according to the American Kennel Club.

Sasha and Malia Obama have name him “Bo.” But at the AKC, the first family’s new pet remains Amigo’s New Hope.

“When a dog is registered, it receives a long name, and then people give it a call name,” Saysthe AKC.

The AKC-registered name includes the name of the kennel where the dog was bred. This dog is a gift to the Obamas from Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who has three Portuguese water dogs of his own.

The AKC reports that the Obamas’ new dog, call-name “Bo,” a litter-mate of the Ted Kennedy PWD pup named “Cappy,” and was bred by Art and Martha Stern, long-time breeders who live near Dallas. Their kennel is named Amigo Portuguese Water Dogs.

The breed is the 64th most popular in the United States, according to AKC registrations. But the presidential selection of a Portuguese water dog as first pet may change all that. The AKC has devoted a new Website to “Bo”and his kind – www.presidentialpup.com.

For whatever name is formally registered for any pure-bred dog – and they can get quite elaborate – the AKC notes that it’s common to call the dog by his call name.

“The call name is easier to understand,” “Your dog would be a long way down the street if you called it by the registered name.”

hopad name=my-first-hop-ad

Do the Obama’s Know What They Are Getting Into with a Portuguese Water Dog?

Posted on 19 November 11 by Master

When I first heard that the Obama family needs a hypo-allergenic dog in the White House I wanted toadvocate the Portuguese Water Dog. My experience has been that they’re a very clean breed, his fur does not hold dirt. I was going to ask my friend Jerome Grossman, a democratic statesman, torecommendit to President Obama.

But then I was told this story and knew IDidn’t have torecommendanything:

Michelle and Barack were leaving New Hampshire after the Presidential Primary on Ted Kennedy’s plane. Kennedy’s two dogs mischievously got out of the plane before departure. The flight was delayed. The two dogs were playing in the snow for a long time until they could be retrieved and brought back into the plane. I could relate, as sometimes I cannot get my dog to go somewhere. My porti hates cars, so Ted’s porti’s probably hate planes. Here’s an article with more information

I thought that the Obamas might be turned off by this breed after that incident, but I think instead they liked the PWD’s fun loving attitute, determination, will power, strength, courage, intelligence, appearance, hypo-allergenic fur, gaze, companionship, and need for exercise.

This is the only breed that can jump into a boat from the deep water. They were bred to jump. My group of dog-walking buddies have imagined stories of Obama’s Porti jumping on foreign Heads of States to greet them They will not know what hit them. I don’t think this can be trained out of the breed, jumping is wired into them. It would be a comedy to have this breed in the White House. I think the Obamas would enjoy this.

My porti is now a celebrity when I’m with him here in Sausalito . People are curious about this ancient rare breed, and want to know what they’re like. He’s not mistaken for a Poodle that much anymore; most people do not want one when I describe the commitment of time that they need every day. It’s not a breed that you can leave alone in the house or apartment, and you definitely cannot leave him outside all day unattended. But I do think that the breed would be an asset at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

hopad name=my-first-hop-ad

Spanish Water Dog

Posted on 4 September 11 by Master

We came acrosstwo unusualpuppies, Scooter and Cricket, on our walk in Sausalito with our Black Portuguese Water Dog Goji. They were Spanish Water Dogs, SWD’s. We had never seen nor heard of this breed before. Smaller than a PWD, but the same high energy.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5w7OPwyWw4&feature=player_embedded

They have a docked tail (PWD’s never dock the tail). Their boatbuilder-owner is breeding them now. This video is from January 2007.

Bo Obama Dog Now also a Beanie Baby

Posted on 11 August 11 by Master

The Portuguese Water Dog puppy of the First Family, Bo , have all kids across the country who want a family pet like him.

Now kids can have their own “Bo Obama” – in plush, it is!

The “First Dog” has been started in production by the maker of Beanie Babies, to create the collection of Bo; it is based on black and white Portuguese Water Dog that the Obamas now own.

“Bo Beanie” has become a hit with kids.

“We are very proud that the First Family wanted to celebrate the election of a family dog,” said Ty Warner, founder and CEO, Ty Inc. -Everyone can own a Bo and enjoy him.

We were talking like the Beanie Baby craze of 90′s, it was nuts- stated Mitchell.

Collection Bo, which is now offered in some stores around the country, flew from the shelves within hours.

Anywhere they were on sale they sold quickly- Smith said.

Smith also noted that when customers purchase Bo, the Beanie Baby, ithe company donates some of the revenues to animal shelters.

The dolls that were supposed to be Sasha and Malia and are not like them. Newly named Mariah and Sydney?- Chen said.

Ty discontinued the wonderful sweet dolls Sasha and Malia, who have the same names as the two daughters of the President, after a complaint by the First Lady Michelle Obama.

At that time, the names were officially retired Ty girls were renamed and Wonderful Sweet Mariah Sydney.

One hundred percent of profits from the sale of fresh Wonderful Malia and Sasha go to Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which seeks to improve public education for young people in the U.S. underprivledged.

The Bo Beanie Baby 2.0 comes with a secret code that can be entered on the website of Ty site to explore a child-friendly virtual world.

Bo Collection, comes in different sizes and prices, a 2.0 Beanie Baby at $ 4.99, a clip of Ty at $ 2.99, a Ty Classic $ 9.99, and a wonderful sweet or Mariah Sydney with Ty girlz Bo at $ 9.99.

Give Your Pet The Advantage Of A Cheap Dog Insurance

Posted on 27 April 11 by Master

When you decide to bring home a puppy, there are manyresponsibilities that you must be willing to shoulder. Often, a first time pet owner fails to realize the extent of commitment that’s required to raise a happy, healthy pet as in the beginning only the positive Continue reading →

Popular Searchesfemoral head ostectomy fho dogs costumes

What to Feed Your PWD

Posted on 21 November 09 by Master

What to Feed Your

Portuguese Water Dog

The Portuguese Water Dog is a working breed with high energy. When you first get your puppy you’ll notice he is very mouthy, which means that shoes, slacks, dresses are all in danger of being ruined by your pup. My Porti, Goji, was at a friend’s house for a few hours, and he managed to find her clothes closet and found a pair of shoes she had recently worn in Portugal at a wedding. He ruined the shoe, and we’d to get it fixed at the shoe repair store. He needed something to chew, and the familiar instinctual smells of Portugal was the ideal thing for him to masticate.

The Porti needs high octane food to fuel this high energy. I tried everything, and by seeing what he liked and what concurred with his digestion, we settled on a diet which he mostly eats to this day.

There is a lot of information about the raw food diet and PWD’s. I used to buy Goji some steaks at Safeway, or chicken parts, or pork, or lamb, but he would just go on my deck and stare at them. Most other dogs and breeds would devour this food in seconds, but Goji would just stare at it. I’d paste some cheeze wiz on it, to make it more appealing, and that worked a little, but then it stopped working. I’d give him aLargeroasted bone, the type you see at the pet food store, and he’d like that, but then it stopped. When I gave him a raw bone, he would bury it. Now this burying action is instinctual, and it is very adorable when his snout is brown from the ground burying activity, but what about the good money I was spending on the bone?

Days would go by, and sometime in the future Goji would go outside and come back with the buried bone, and show it off to us, then chew on it for an hour or so. These dogs prefer decomposed meat over new meat.

So Goji would not eat the raw food much, and there was no canned food he liked, and kibble was beneath him. I cannot feed him dried salmon treats all day, they’re $40 per pound! It took some luck and a lot of trial and error to settle on a diet that appeals and suits him. This is what I found:

Breakfast: not much, maybe a few treats as I listed in the training article
Lunch,:hardly anything, maybe a biscuit
Dinner: Prairie raw meats pattie, Bil-Jac kibble, cow ears

I’m going to go into more detail in another post, and your Porti may be different, so let’s see about that another time.

Here’s an update of what I bought today, , at PetSmart:

Bil-Jac Select Dog Food for Large Dog

Bil-Jac Dog Biscuits with Bonus box of Liver Treats

Healthy Holistic Blue Health Bars

Charlee Bear treats with Liver

Natural Way Tartar Control dog biscuits

Dentley’s Pig Ears 24 pack

ToyShoppe Playables Tennis BallsTotal spent about $100

Image by DragonWoman via Flickr

Portuguese Water Dog – Facts, Photos & Nautical History (gcaptain.com)

Portuguese Water Dog Magazine

Portuguese Water Dog Magazine

Category Archives: Featured

Don’t expect flood of Portuguese water dogs at shelters

Portuguese Water Dogs: First the White House, then the New Yorker Cover

Formal Name of the Obama Dog

Do the Obama’s Know What They Are Getting Into with a Portuguese Water Dog?

Spanish Water Dog

Bo Obama Dog Now also a Beanie Baby

Give Your Pet The Advantage Of A Cheap Dog Insurance

What to Feed Your PWD

What to Feed Your

Portuguese Water Dog

What to Feed Your

Portuguese Water Dog

Related articles by Zemanta