The Obamas have finally welcomed their Portuguese Water Dog, named Bo, to the White House.I am a little disappointed that he is not actually from an animal; rescue centre.  It is true that his first owners gave Bo up because things were not working out with their existing dog, another Portuguese Water Dog. They gave him back to the breeder, and this was the breeder from where Ted Kennedy bought his own Portuguese Water dog.  The Senator  was obviously on the lookout for a dog from this breed, it was he who advised the family to get one.  The Portuguese Water dog sheds very little hair, making it suitable for anyone with allergies – also for people who do not want to clear up mats of dog hair every day. The Portuguese Water Dog is set to become known as the “Hypoallergenic Dog Breed” now the Obamas have given it such prominence.

Bo is still a puppy – just six months old – so he has had some upheaval in his short life. He was born in Texas, his first owner lived in Washington, DC, he returned for just a day to the breeder, then spent a month being trained for his new role in Virginia, before moving on to his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Before his arrival at the White House the First Family’s dog spent a month with a dog trainer. Was this necessary? Hard to tell: a trained puppy can be allowed to stray into more public events, I suppose.

It is not always necessary to buy from a breeder if you want to adopt a specific breed.  There are plenty of rescue organisations who rehome one breed of dog, and a quick search online should find you a rescue organisation for the kind of dog you would like to own.  While there are so many dogs available for adoption, it makes no sense at all that breeders are producing so many puppies – many of whom are rejected by their owners in later life. And the Kennel Club continues to rubber stamp this culture.

Lost Dogs of Hurricane Katrina.
The forgotten victims of the horror of Katrina were the pets. Residents who were evacuated were not allowed to take their animals with them – in fact many were forced to leave their homes at gunpoint by the emergency services.
This 80-minute documentary by novice San Francisco film maker Geralyn Pezanoski reduced audiences to tears at the SXSW Film Festival last week. The film is titled “Mine”, and it describes how hundreds of pets were left at the scene of Hurricane Katrina. Many of their owners have dedicated their efforts since then to finding their lost loved ones. Deaths of the pets were inevitable, but the survivors were mostly picked up by animal rescue volunteers. Rehoming to new families has now ended in tug of love cases between the distraught Katrina victims and the new adopting families. Have the tissues ready as you watch this tearjerker and see how much the love of a dog means.
Read more »

The Welsh Terrier is another breed of dog that I am considering for adoption. They are handsome black and tan dogs with a wiry coat, and a life expectancy of up to 12 years. The look of this breed is quite similar to the Wire Haired Fox Terrier, but the Welsh Terrier has a slightly more placid temperament. They are more easily trained to socialise well with other dogs, and can learn to refrain from chasing everything that moves! Welsh Terriers do not need excessive grooming, although clipping a few times a year will help keep their handsome lines. In appearance they are a kind of compact form of the Airedale Terrier, which is a breed that I would find too large.

There are no particular health problems associated with the Welsh Terrier breed. They are all round good performance parts, in fact. There are fewer Welsh Terriers available from the dog rescue charities around here but I remain hopeful.

Welsh Terrier Club Rescue
Mr T Spencer, Wakefield, Yorks. Tel: 01924 210517

If the Obamas do decide to adopt a Portuguese Water dog this spring, the new pet has an exciting life to look forward to. There will always be someone willing to walk him – if Malia and Sasha are busy doing their homework there are dozens of staff on hand who will be only too pleased to take the First Dog for a walk.  This breed appears to be favourite after advice from Ted Kennedy, who has two Portuguese Water Dogs of his own and he thinks they sould be well adapted to life in the Oval Office.  these are not a breed of dog likely to climb on the stereo cabinet or misbehave in other ways, so they can be trusted when disinguished visitors are in the building.

I am as curious as everyone else to know which breed of dog the Obama family is going to adopt. They have already confirmed they intend to get a rescue dog, which is a good example to set.  Like us, they have decided to time the arrival of their new dog after their spring vacation.  There is no point in booking cruises straight after getting a new pet!The first family will be back home in April so we can look forward to the patter of four tiny new feet around Easter.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and a lot of us are thinking about the cost of gifts and restaurant meals on the day.  Buy roses today and they will probably cost at least twice the normal price.  The same goes for a meal out tomorrow night. We have decided to stay in on Saturday and donate the money saved to one of my favourite dog charities, Rescue Remedies.  I feel much better for doing this, the dogs are having a hard time this winter and dog rescue organisations are being stretched to their limit. There are a lot of ways we can save money and give to a worthwhile cost – imagine if one-tenth of teh costs of Vegas vacations taken from Gatwick was donated to a good cause!!

If you would like to donate to the dogs, just click the link and your money will be sent immediately by a secure Paypal transaction.

Rescue Remedies is a small rescue charity run by volunteers who rehome dogs of all kinds, including purebreds, cross-breeds, special needs dogs or older dogs.

Rescue Remedies is based close to where we live,  in the South East of England. If you would like to help their vital work, click here to see the donation page.