Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Mystery of the First Dog May Soon Be Over


It seems the mystery surrounding the country's First Dog may be coming to an end. If so, animal advocates will be disappointed in the pending decision.

Michelle Obama told People magazine that her daughters Sasha and Malia will get their promised pooch in April, after spring break, and they are looking for a Portuguese Water Dog to adopt from a shelter.

"Temperamentally they're supposed to be pretty good," Obama says in the upcoming issue. "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 problem is that in general, Portugese Water dogs don't often end up in shelters. A quick search on Petfinder.com, which is a database of over 12,000 rescue groups and lists over 200,000 animals available across the country, lists only two Portugese Water dogs, and both are adults. Still, I am hoping that an animal rescuer will help the family find locate one for adoption.

During the campaign, President Obama promised his girls Sasha and Malia a puppy, and were also considering a labradoodle, a cross between a labrador and a poodle.  Although the designer dogs aren't among the top breeds that lands in the shelters, they are possible to find.

That's because, unlike Portugese Water dogs, labradoodle's are so popular that many people purchase them on impulse, but then later abandon them at the shelters when they realize they can't handle the energetic puppies.

Michelle Obama also told People the family has been going back and forth on names, but she says it won't be "Frank" or "Moose."

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