Portuguese Water Dog: Obamas' Puppy

UPDATE 4/12: The Obama family's dog, a Portuguese water dog from Sen. Ted Kennedy named Bo, has finally arrived.

The selection was one of the White House's most tightly kept secrets.

President Barack Obama's daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, picked a black and white pup, a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press Saturday night.

"We couldn't be happier to see the joy that Bo is bringing to Malia and Sasha," Kennedy said in a statement. "We love our Portuguese water dogs and know that the girls -- and their parents -- will love theirs, too."

UPDATE 4/10: TMZ is reporting that the Obama family dog will arrive at the White House on Tuesday. TMZ also has some interesting details about where the dog is from and its connection to the Kennedys. Read more here.

UPDATE 4/8: The arrival of the first family's new dog has been delayed, but it will happen this month.

The First Lady's press secretary Katie McCormick Lelyveld says "definitely not this week," when asked for guidance on the arrival of the Obama's family dog.

President Obama has said the First Family would get the dog "after I get back from the G20 summit."

He has said the family had already selected the dog it wants.

UPDATE 2/25: People magazine reports that the First Family has picked their puppy: a Portuguese water dog.

And what kind of dog will soon be frolicking on the South Lawn? Mrs. Obama says the family is looking for a rescue Portuguese Water dog who is "old enough" and a "match" for the family dynamic.

"Temperamentally they're supposed to be pretty good," she says of the breed that Sen. Ted Kennedy has also lobbied for (he has two Water dogs of his own). "From the size perspective, they're sort of middle of the road - it's not small, but it's not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that's where we're leaning."

The first couple and their daughters have been going back and forth on possible names. Among the two Mrs. Obama mentioned -- and nixed -- were Frank and Moose.

"I'm like, no. Come on. Let's work with the names a little bit," she told People. They will get the dog in April. "So Sasha says 'April 1st.' I said, 'April.' She says, 'April 1st.' It's like, April!" said Mrs. Obama.

* * * * *

President-elect Barack Obama said on ABC's "This Week" that he had narrowed down the puppy he was getting his daughters to two breeds: a Labradoodle and a Portuguese water dog.

According to the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, the dogs are "great with children." The dogs date back to pre-Christian times; the first written description of a Portuguese Water Dog is a 1297 monk's report of a dying sailor brought out of the sea by a dog with a "black coat of rough hair, cut to the first rib and with a tuft on the tip of his tail." Long popular in Portugal, they were first imported to the U.S. in 1968.

The American Kennel Club describes the Portuguese Water Dog as "a loyal companion and alert guard. This highly intelligent utilitarian breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy; an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned mass; a ruggedly built, well-knit body; and a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder. The Portuguese Water Dog provides an indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness."

Sen. Ted Kennedy has two Portuguese Water Dogs, Sunny and Splash.

Watch Obama on ABC:

Comments

[LollieDotCom]

12:40 PM on 01/12/2009

this one gets my vote... I'm not a fan of poodles and anything part poodle. My mother (meaning I was the one that did the work) used to raise small dogs. Poodles are extremely intelligent in some ways, dumb as rocks in others. I agree with someone else here, they seem to mature slower than other dogs. The Portuguese Water Hound sounds much more like Obama dogs. A pair of them would be perfect.

[frugalist]

11:35 AM on 01/12/2009

We have two labradoodles, brothers. They are 3/4 poodle, rest lab.

They are the most loving dogs I have ever met, very intelligent. However they take a long time to grow up.
Took two years!

Also even though they are brothers, they are very different. One is dignified, minds well, will eat anything, including cardboard. The other one needs more affection and was harder to break of jumpiing up. They love to swim and fetch, and wrestle with each other.

We have allergies in the family and they have been no problem.

[anastomosis]

03:50 AM on 01/12/2009

"The Portuguese Water Dog provides an indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness."
'Nuff said.

[plan9]

03:41 AM on 01/12/2009

No designer dogs, get a Chessie.

[sushi27]

02:27 AM on 01/12/2009

PWD is a great choice, but not sure why he's even considering a labradoodle - they are NOT hypoallergetic and they shed - should just consider a standard poodle and give it a puppy cut forever, great non-shedding and extremely intelligent. The other non-shedding, super dog (around the same size) are airdale terriers - these are also extremely intelligent and loads of fun - this is my son's all time favorite!

[preemptivelove]

12:19 PM on 01/12/2009

that's exactly what i think. i am on my second standard poodle. he's 7 and has never had a silly hair cut. i cut his hair myself, and i keep it clipped like a puppy. he's the BEST. smart. funny. loving. athletic. they couldn't go wrong with a standard poodle.

my friend's dad has a labradoodle. he got it for all the reasons the obama's want one. the dog sheds and is STUPID. sweet, but shedding and not that bright. it's a crap shoot whether the puppy will be more lab or more poodle.

[ChicagoSuz]

12:13 AM on 01/12/2009

Very cute. Is this full size?

[susou]

11:11 PM on 01/11/2009

I'm full Portuguese and I approve this decision!! LOL

It's an adorable dog!

[SamEllison]

10:29 PM on 01/11/2009

As I'm reading the description of the breed I'm hearing the narrator of the Westminster Dog Show.

[searchingforzen]

07:27 PM on 01/11/2009

I believe Sen. Kennedy has a couple of these dogs and isn't this breed also used to retrieve baseballs from the water in San Francisco?

[pamelamarcus]

09:22 PM on 01/11/2009

Yes, from 2000 to 2002 a team of Portuguese Water Dogs called "B.A.R.K." retrieved balls in the water for the San Francisco Giants. Usually they were splash hits from Barry Bonds. The publicity and money generated from this went to a no-kill animal shelter called "Pets In Need". I was the owner of the captain of the team, "Rio". He was a fabulous jumper and retriever.

[Amennyc]

07:20 PM on 01/11/2009

Todo Bom with the Portuguese one!

[TheAlchemist]

06:36 PM on 01/11/2009

This one gets my vote!

[tzip]

11:09 PM on 01/11/2009

looks like a great dog If they also get a rescue dog, there is talk of 2 dogs. They can go to a good prison dog training program. I got my dog from one and it was great! I have a rescued Mix . she spent two months with a prisoner who kept a journal. trained her in every way. My Fee paid the prisoner a small salary and paid for the vocational training program that these guys or gals were in. I got a training cd and the journal as well as a well trained 10 month old dog we love, You have to keep up with the training like any dog but it's been a great experience. You can send problem dogs there to get trained too.

[Serious Lee]

06:32 PM on 01/11/2009

Portuguese Water Dog '09. . .Yes we can!

The Portuguese Water Dog gets my vote!

[bibimimi]

05:50 PM on 01/11/2009

dag, too cute. glad i don't have to decide.

[paulacvdw]

05:05 PM on 01/11/2009

Got to admit, that Portuguese water dog is really cute as a pup.

[kellygrrrl]

05:16 PM on 01/11/2009

all puppies are cute :)

[MsDoc]

07:38 PM on 01/11/2009

I had to choose between the Portuguese Water Dog and a Newfoundland. Since I needed a "helper dog", the Newfie won...but it was close!!! They are both lovely animals and exceedingly good with babies and little children.

[northwesterner02]

03:37 PM on 01/11/2009

excerpts from a report on NPR:

Finding the perfect pup could be tricky, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology contends, because there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic breed.

Shaggy dogs often get a bum rap, but allergens are actually in skin, not hair, the academy explains. The amount of allergen dander varies drastically from dog to dog -- even within each breed.

"Please don't believe the Internet that there is a breed or some variety of breeds that are going to be safe for you," says Dr. Robert Wood, director of pediatric allergy and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, "because that clearly is not the case."

Several studies have shown a tremendous variability of allergen levels, even within breeds, Woods says. One study published in the journal Allergy in 2005 found that poodles had a huge range in the amount of allergen dander found in individual dogs. One poodle was a very low allergen producer, while another produced 60 times more allergens -- almost the highest of all the breeds tested.

One solution is to find a flexible breeder or shelter and take a dog home on trial. Wood says an allergy sufferer should be able to tell within two weeks whether the dog will trigger a reaction.