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.
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 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.
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.
Here’s a new twist, a service dog that detects peanuts. An eight-year-old girl from Monument, CO is deathly allergic to peanuts. So much so, that when a peanut shell got stuck in her sandal it badly burned her skin. She broke out in hives and struggled to breathe.
Unless you have a child who is allergic to peanuts you would never believe all the products that contain, or may contain, them. Every time your child leaves the house their life is at risk. Now that may all change, Riley Mers has just received a very special dog who has been trained to detect the presence of peanuts. Rock’O is a Portuguese Water Dog, who received six months of training.
The girl received her dog on Sunday, Rock’O will go wherever she does, alerting her to the presence of peanuts. Peanuts are used in far more ways than providing spread for a sandwich or a salty snack, and her allergy is sensitive enough for the most minuscule exposures to cause problems. Some potting soils, for example, contain peanut shells as filler. Riley’s parents learned that the hard way when the girl, as a toddler, had an allergic reaction as they were potting plants.
That’s meant a life where going to a friend’s house requires an extensive sweep of the home and a crash course for the parents. She attends a few classes at Kilmer Elementary School, in Lewis-Palmer School District 38, but gets most of her education online. The school does not serve peanut butter, but a child bringing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school could create a danger for Riley.
Such situations won’t change, but Rock’O will provide “long-range radar” for Riley, said her dad, Brett Mers. The dog might stop her from going into a room if it smells peanuts.
The cost to train a dog like this does not come cheap, approximately $10,000. Rock’O was trained at the Florida Canine Academy by Master Trainer Bill Whitstine, who generously donated his services.
Riley’s parents, Brett and Sherry, are hoping to provide more than just their daughter with such a dog. At the same time Rock’O was being trained, they were organizing Angel Service Dogs Inc.. Formed on Feb. 6, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, the business would like to provide allergy-detecting and seizure-detecting dogs at reduced costs and eventually for free.
One concern is that people will rush to get a dog before it’s fully trained. In this type of situation, a dog that is not properly trained can result in severe, or even deadly consequences.
What a great story, best of luck to Riley and Rock’O. Thanks to Veronica for barking this story to me.
The big day is finally over, the new President is in the White House. So, the next big question is finding out when the new first dog will be indogurated.
The choice seems to have come down to a Labradoodle or Portuguese Water Dog.
The Portuguese Water Dog dates back to the 1200s and worked on boats with Portuguese fishermen, according to the website of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., has helped make them famous, returning to the Capitol after brain-cancer treatment with his two Portuguese water dogs.
The Labradoodle, on the other hand, is a relatively new dog whose crossbreeding between a Labrador and a poodle goes back only to the 1980s.
In his election-night victory speech, Obama promised his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, they could have a puppy in the White House. He later said Malia is allergic and they would need a “hypoallergenic” dog, and that they also wanted a pound dog.
Both dogs are non-shedders and don’t cause as much reaction in allergy sufferers as other dogs, according to Stu Freeman, president of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.
“There really is no hypoallergenic dog,” he says. “We tell people to spend time around the dogs to make sure they’re going to be OK. The hair might not bother them, but the saliva might.”
Freeman adds it can be difficult to find either breed in shelters because “rescue groups will always get word they’re in shelters and save them.”
Obama told Stephanopoulos they were going to start “looking at shelters to see when one of those dogs might come up.”
It would be great if either of these dogs could be adopted from a shelter, but it’s looking doubtful. Do you think President Obama conceded to saying he would look for a shelter dog because of the pressure he felt to do so?
Of course, now there’s a debate about the choices with the AKC, they don’t recognize the Labradoodle as a breed. The ASPCA isn’t advocating for either dog, they are hoping the potential first dog will be a rescue or shelter dog.
We hope a rescue gets chosen too. Give me a bark, let me know what you think.
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