Portuguese Water Hound or Labradoodle, Barack Obama’s First Dog Choice
Posted Jan 12, 2009 by Lindsay Britney
Portuguese Water Hound (Left), Labradoodle (Times Online)
President-elect Barack Obama spilled beans on his First Dog choice. During an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Obama who is to swear-in as USA’s 44th President on January 20, said either Portuguese Water Hound or Labradoodle, both hypoallergenic dog breeds, would be picked as First Pet.
The Middle East is in flames and the global economy in meltdown, but Barack Obama revealed yesterday that he has a far weightier matter to deal with: whether his daughters get a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound as their White House puppy.
After receiving thousands of suggestions from dog lovers since he announced on election night that Malia, 10, [who is allergic to dogs], and Sasha, 7, were to get a puppy – he says that he has had more advice on the dog than on economic policy – Mr Obama said that the choice had been narrowed down to those two breeds.
[...]
All the qualities to be top dog
Labradoodle
— Cross between a labrador and a standard poodle
— First bred in Australia in the 1980s
— Height is 16-25in. It is very easy to train because of its high intelligence, responding well to sign language as well as noises. This makes it an excellent guide dog – the reason that it was bred
— Hair can be wavy and coarse, or dry and wiry
— Cost: £750Portuguese water hound
— First written description was in 1297, when a monk wrote of a dying sailor being dragged out of the sea by a dog matching its appearance
— Traditionally a fisherman’s dog and taught to herd fish into nets
— Height is 17-23in. It is classed as hypoallergenic because it has no undercoat to shed
— An excellent family pet, but not happy when left on its own
— Cost: £1,000
Source: Obamas face choice between two dogs: a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound @ TimesOnline
#Permalink Tags: Barack Obama, First Dog, Malia Ann Obama, Malia Ann Pet Allergenic, Pet
