PUPPIES, AS ANY good president will tell you, are not just for four-year terms. They are for life. And the dog chosen by the US’s new first family will carry, for a time at least, the world’s most prestigious address on his collar and will always be able to boast to his bitches that he was housetrained at the White House, writes FIONA McCANN
After months of speculation over what kind of dog would suit such surrounds, the breed of the new Presidential pooch has finally been revealed. Rumours of a Labradoodle had been rife, until the new first lady let slip in a recent interview that this cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle had been ditched in favour of a Portuguese water dog from an animal rescue centre.
The news had breeders barking all across the globe, as the dog world debated the pros and cons of the Obamas’ choice of canine companion.
According to the world canine organisation, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the Portuguese water dog was first bred along the coasts of Portugal to help fishermen retrieve their catch. “A swimmer and diver of quite exceptional qualities and stamina, this dog is the inseparable companion of the fishermen to whom it is of great utility not only during fishing but also as a guard to defend their boats and property.”
Whether it will make a good companion for presidential families remains to be seen, though the fact that Senator Ted Kennedy is the proud owner of three of the breed indicates an established rapport with Democrats at least.
Other pointers from the FCI indicate the kind of temperament the Obamas can expect in their new pet, whose imminent arrival was originally announced on the day Barack Obama was elected president. “Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House,” he said.
What the first family should expect, along with the “exceptional qualities” mentioned above, is “an animal with an impetuous disposition, self-willed, brave, quarrelsome . . . and very resistant to fatigue”.
While these may not sound like the characteristics you might wish for in a pet that sleeps in the same house as the nuclear codes, those who already own Portuguese water dogs describe them in somewhat different terms.
Judith Owens Poole, of Fircroft Show Dogs, is the proud owner of two of only an estimated dozen Portuguese water dogs in this country. She gives a reassuring account of her pets.
“They have a fun-loving attitude,” she says. “They are comedians, so they love attention, and they love fooling around.”
The perfect distraction, perhaps, after a stressful day trying to pass an economic rescue package through the Senate. But don’t be fooled by fantasies of a droll, laconic one-liner of a dog – when it comes to Portuguese water dogs, easy-going does not apply.
“I certainly wouldn’t say they’re laid-back,” says Owens Poole. “They are very energetic, and everything’s fun as far as they’re concerned.”
Given that the future presidential pup is primarily being chosen as a companion for Obama’s daughters, 10-year-old Malia and seven-year-old Sasha, it will come as some relief to know these dogs take well to minors.
“They’re very good around children,” says Owens Poole. So what’s not to love? “Their only problem can be that they’re quite lively, but if they’re taught early on to be calm around children, they are very good-natured.”
EARLY TRAINING ISclearly key, but even if the future family dog learns to pee only on the White House lawn and sit at the president's command, the work wont stop there.
“There is a fair bit of work in the coat,” says Owens Poole.
Should the Obamas choose a wavy-haired Portuguese water dog, things get more complicated.
“If you keep long, it needs a lot of grooming,” she says. “You’re talking about daily grooming, but most people who have them as pets would clip them in a short coat, and that’s very easy to manage once they’re kept clean. You need either to do it yourself, or take it to the groomers every six weeks.”
The big advantage of such a labour-intensive coat is that the Portuguese water dog is one of the few non-shedding dogs around. This key advantage not only offsets the possibility of stray hairs all over the Oval Office, but protects the allergic sensivities of eldest daughter Malia while guarding against potential diplomatic incidents involving sneezing or wheezing by sensitive visiting dignitaries.
With male Portuguese water dogs weighing in at between 19 and 25 kilograms, they fit the description provided by the president himself when he told ABC’s Barbara Walters that he was looking for “a big, rambunctious dog”.
The Irish Kennel Club is now preparing itself for an avalanche of inquiries about the acquisition of Portuguese water dogs.
“Anyone in a high-profile position, be it a politician or a pop star, if there’s an interest shown in the breed, we get calls about it,” says a spokesman. “It happened when the film 101 Dalmations came to Ireland – we were inundated with phone calls.”
Those looking to make up their own mind about the the kind of dog that will be moving into the White House in April can see some examples of the breed at the Irish Kennel Club’s upcoming St Patrick’s Celtic Winners dog show at the National Show Centre in Cloghran, Dublin, on March 17th.
