Bo isn’t the only dog vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, pups abound. You don’t need to be the First Dog to have a good time on this island.

Although you can’t bring dogs to the main beaches in the summer, you can usually find a quiet place for a secret swim. There’s also a new dog park where you can go enjoy an afternoon of fun with your pooch.

If you feel like shopping you can stop by the very popular Black Dog to get some fun tee shirts and Good Dog Goods to buy necessities for your pup.

One of the biggest draws on the island is the Black Dog, a general store full of branded merchandise, along with a bakery and a popular restaurant.

But now, with talk of the arrival of Bo, there’s some competition.

“The slogan ‘the new dog in town’ means it’s a change,” said John Farrington, who designed Bobama merchandise. “It has some political overtones to it. Basically, I think it’s a neat looking shirt.”

The shirts and caps are on sale at Good Dog Goods, a dog specialty store in Oak Bluffs. It has an enclosed backyard where dogs can socialize and you can pick up supplies like tick repellent.

You can find  plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating so your dog can you join for a morning latte or late dinner. Looking for dog-friendly lodging? There are a variety of lodging choices available that allows dogs.  The Tivoli Inn even has their own inn dog, Saki.

Thanks to all the dog-friendly places on Martha’s Vineyard you and your pup are sure to get the presidential treatment. Follow along with NY1’s Travel reporter Valarie D’Elia as she travels to Martha’s Vineyard to get the full scoop on this dog-friendly destination.

*Photo courtesy JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty

The economy, bailouts, foreclosures – all need to take a back seat right now as did you witness as I did the trouble at the White House?

Obama Bo is pulling all the weight literally dragging our Commander-n-Chief and First Family across the lawn.

I heard Bo had been at puppy boot-camp, so what happened?

Alright, so the Obama family is a pup themselves when it comes to dog leadership. So we need to help the First Family get a grip on Bo while the President has the lead on the nation.

So let’s put the kids in charge! That’s what Oscar Winner Marcia Gay Harden did with her daughter, Eulala, for their dogs even though they have a tête-à-tête on whether she’s resentful.

The girls first command for Bo is to teach him sit, down, and off.

What would you like Bo to learn? Let me know as we’ll continue the sessions for Bo!

Sheryl Matthys, The Dog Expert, helps you learn what your relationship with your dog can teach you about yourself, and how that knowledge makes your human relationships more successful – in life, with friends, family, associates, and in love! As creator of Leashes and Lovers online social community, a certified dog trainer with a psychology degree and master’s in Radio/TV, Sheryl’s doled out advice to thousands of dog lovers.

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Articles abound on the internet about Bo, the new First Dog. I chose to comment on the Tails Of The City post because author Amelia Glynn seems to share my feeling of disappointment over the choice of a non-shelter dog.

Bo is adorable, and I’m happy there is a dog in the White House, but I can’t help feel an important opportunity was missed here. One that could have had great impact for other rescue dogs.

While this new, cute (and hypoallergenic) First Bundle of Canine Joy prepares to move into his new home at the White House this Tuesday, some shelters and rescue organizations across the country including Adopt-a-Pet.com are expressing disappointment at the Obamas’ choice to acquire a dog from a breeder – a decision that is in sharp contrast to the President’s earlier pledge to adopt from a shelter.

“This is a missed opportunity to set a pet-adoption trend among Americans,” says Abbie Moore, executive director of Adopt-a-Pet.com. “With pet relinquishment up 20 to 30 percent due to the poor economy, pets in shelters can use all the help they can get.”

So, now there is a purebred in the White House, perpetuating the myth that rescue dogs aren’t good enough, have too many issues, or that you won’t be able to find the dog you’re looking for. I am happy that Bo was at least a re-homed pup, things didn’t work out at his first place of residence.

Bo was born in October, along with nine littermates. His breeder was already a big Obama supporter and gave the litter a “Hope and Change” theme. Consequently, all of the puppies had registered names that had something to do with Hope or Change. Bo’s registered name is Amigo’s New Hope – perfect for President Obama’s dog, don’t you think? Senator Ted Kennedy, who also got a puppy from this litter, has a puppy with the registered name Amigo’s Change to Believe In.

When he was old enough Bo was sold to a woman in Washington DC who had just lost her old Portuguese Water Dog. But she still had another old Portie. She thought that the puppy, whom she named Charlie, would be good company for the old girl. Unfortunately, Charlie proved a little too much. For one thing, he tried to nurse on the other dog, which some puppies will do. The other dog was not happy about this situation. And, sometimes bringing a puppy into a home with an old dog, especially if they may be grieving, can be a problem. So the owner decided she couldn’t keep Charlie.

Although Bo is technically re-homed, he is by no means a rescue. He was sent back to the breeder she bought him from and would have been sold again, he is an AKC-registered purebred dog from champion breeding.

The Chicago Sun Times reports that since the Obama’s didn’t adopt from a shelter, they plan to make a donation to a Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) instead. So perhaps it’s not surprising that the HSUS issued a statement today that simultaneously thanks the Obamas’ for taking in a “second-chance” dog and warns of disreputable breeders who may take advantage of the public’s increased interest in Portuguese water dogs.

“There are reputable breeders of these dogs,” says Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS. “Yet sadly, we expect disreputable puppy mill operators to start producing them as well, intent on cashing in on the heightened awareness of this breed. President Obama can do even more for animal protection, helping us enforce existing animal welfare laws and cracking down on the national shame of rampant puppy mills in America.”

While I realize the Obamas needed a hypoallergenic dog, about a quarter of all dogs at shelters are purebreds. Over three million dogs and cats are euthanized every year because they don’t have homes. That is a number almost beyond comprehension, but we can make a difference one animal at a time. Adopt from a shelter, save a life.

*SOUZA/The Washington Post

When will there be Leashes and Lovers in the White House?

The Portuguese Water Dog is somewhat an unusual breed so it could be unlikely to show up in a shelter. 
What’s your thoughts on their dog of choice? 
Would love to hear from you!

Enough goofing around with the bad economy, CEO’s bonuses, trillion-dollar payouts, banks and car companies not surviving; let’s get serious. Where’s the dog for the White House?

I’m not alone on this, a lot of people really want to know when and what kind of dog the Obama family is getting and why it hasn’t happened yet. 


Well, apparently President Obama said it’s to happen soon, and we’ve heard Michelle Obama has narrowed the search for Sasha and Malia’s dog to be a Portuguese Water Dog!

Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos tells me when she interviewed the Obama Family last year, she was just so excited to hear they were considering a dog and she showed them her dogs from her Blackberry.

If you’re thinking, a water what? Here’s a little info about this breed.
The Portuguese Water Dog obviously loves to swim, is similar to a poodle and is considered a hypo-allergenic breed although every dog’s skin flakes could cause a response from someone with allergies. Its size ranges from 40-60 lbs.

If you can’t see the video click here.

Sheryl Matthys, The Dog Expert, helps you learn what your relationship with your dog can teach you about yourself, and how that knowledge makes your human relationships more successful – in life, with friends, family, associates, and in love! As creator of Leashes and Lovers online social community, a certified dog trainer with a psychology degree and master’s in Radio/TV, Sheryl’s doled out advice to thousands of dog lovers.

* Photo courtesy of Leashes and Lovers

Or at least no girly dogs allowed. On Friday, November 29th Barbara Walters’  hosted a special featuring an interview with the Obamas’.

Barbara Walters’ was talking about dogs, she has a  non-allergenic terrier, a Havanese named Cha Cha. She showed a picture of her dog and then asked Obama the question everyone wants to know, what kind will he be getting, and he responded he didn’t want a “girly dog”.  Clearly referring to Walters’ dog.

“It’s like a little yappy dog?” Obama asked Walters, foolishly ignoring his wife’s advice not to criticize.

“It, like, sits in your lap and things?” queried the skeptical president-elect.

Michelle, still trying to save her husband from himself, pronounced the dog “cute.”

Barack wasn’t buying it. “It sounds kind of like a…a girly dog,” he said, at which point his wife pointed out, “We’re girls. We have a house full of girls.”

Except for the, well, Top Dog, who forthwith issued an executive order. “We’re gonna have a big, rambunctious dog.”

First Obama starts wavering on getting a shelter dog and now he’s insulted little dogs, not the best move. Despite what he feels, some things are better left unsaid.   Ruth Marcus, from the washingtonpost.com, has some funny commentary regarding the “no girly dog” comment.

As for you, Mr. President-elect, you might want to be careful. Remember, Hell hath no fury like a girl, or girly dog, scorned. Our bite can be even worse than our yappy little bark.

Give me a bark and let me know how you feel about Obama’s comment.

* Picture courtesy George Burns for ABC news.

Got puppy? The election is over, and thankfully so are all the commercials, and we have our President- Elect Barack Obama.

Now the question is will he keep his pledge to his girls to get a puppy, and if so, what kind?

As the whole world heard last night during his victory speech in Grant Park, Mr. Obama declared that his girls had “earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.”

But as with most campaign promises, fulfilling this one may not be as simple as it sounds.

In July I posted Your Vote Can Make A Difference and the controversy began, should the dog come from a shelter or a breeder. The American Kennel Club quickly identified a list of five possible “pure” breeds that the Obama’s could buy from a pet store or breeder.

Best Friends’ Animal Society has a different thought…”With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, they’re proposing that the Obama’s NOT buy a dog – instead, that they adopt their next dog from a shelter or rescue group.”

On Sept. 30, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Obama’s gave a few more details.

“We’re going to adopt a dog, I think,” said Mrs. Obama.

Mr. Obama then put in: “A rescue dog.”

The news sped around the dog portion of the blogosphere. Many readers were thrilled, seeing this as a sign that the Obama’s were taking a populist approach. Many also assumed that the Obama’s were getting a dog from a shelter, although they did not exactly say that.

On November 5th the Humane Society issued a statement based on Obama’s speech.

Most presidents in recent times have had pets, and as the next president Barack Obama can set a tremendous example for the rest of Americans by adopting a homeless animal.

The Humane Society of the United States looks forward to working with President Obama and watching his children bond with the newest member of their family.”

The Obama’s are looking to adopt their new addition in the spring, because then they would be settled. So Dogsters, do you think they will:

1.  Adopt a rescue from a shelter

2. Adopt a purebred from a breeder

3. Adopt a purebred rescue from a shelter

4. Get the puppy as a gift, like the Clinton’s

Give me a bark and let me know what you think.