Arbo UNLEASHED In The Baltimore Sun

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/2009/02/obama_dog_portuguese_water_dog.html

By Mary Corey

One thing I learned yesterday during the It-is/It-isn't-a-Portuguese-Water-Dog drama was this: There are some very funny, clever and informative Web sites and blogs out there devoted solely to the soon-to-be First Dog.
I was tipped off by Greg Nelson, who yesterday was cheering when he learned that his beloved Labradoodles may still be in the running. He even has a new site devoted to his cause. He calls himself the founder and his 18-month-old miniature Labradoodle Arbo (above) the president. To show your Labradoodle love, you can even buy yard signs, buttons and dog T-shirts. All proceeds of sales go to animal rescue organizations and shelters.
If you're way into First Dog news (and who isn't?), here are some other not-to-be-missed sites and blogs on the topic.
American Kennel Club provides useful info on the search, materials on hypoallergenic breeds and facts on past presidential pets. Don't miss: The video of too-cute Portuguese Water Dogs
Dogtime.com has an amusing Obama dog blog. Don't miss: The poll with questions including: What name should the Obamas choose? (Chief and Veto are options as answers.) What should the First Dog's first toy be? (Osama bin Laden plush toy or Barack Obama's basketball shoes?)
The Portuguese Water Dog Club of America has a comprehensive site on the subject with everything from grooming tips to handling behavioral issues. Don't miss: The Test your PWD Knowledge quiz

Home Stretch For The Next FIRST DOG

President Obama gave a few tidbits of information about the future First Dog during his March 19 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
After tackling serious issues such as the country's economic crisis, the AIG flap and Obama's NCAA tournament picks (OK, so maybe it wasn't all serious), Leno asked the President the real question on everyone's mind (or at least those of us who look forward to seeing a pup playing on the White House lawn): "When is the dog coming?"
Obama quipped, "This is Washington. That was a campaign promise," before adding over the laughter of the audience, "I'm teasing."
He went on to semi-cryptically suggest that the family has already chosen a family dog, saying, "The dog will be there shortly. We have actually sort of been laying the groundwork here. We've got a trip... I've got to go to the NATO Summit. When we get back, the dog will be in place."
The NATO Summit is April 3-4, so depending on how one interprets Obama's statement, this means the presidential pup may be in his or her new home in just a few weeks.
Leno did not press further as to whether the dog is from a shelter or a breeder, if it is male or female, or the dog's age. Instead, he asked about the dog's breed and if it was true they would be getting a "Portuguese Water Head" - meaning, of course, a Portuguese Water Dog, which, in an interview with PEOPLE Magazine, Michelle Obama had indicated was the family's breed of choice.
Obama neither confirmed nor denied the breed speculation, simply stating, "We're going to get a dog that I think the girls will have a great time... uh, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with it."
He then added, "They say if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog, so..."
And with that, the interview concluded, leaving those of us anticipating the First Dog's arrival wanting more. It seems we'll just have to wait a few weeks for that.

White House to Receive Eco-Friendly Doghouse

http://sustainablepet.com/obamadog.html

Sustainable Pet Design has created an eco-friendly, non-toxic doghouse, "Summa Canum," for the First Dog. Green companies across the country have donated materials and services, including rock legend Neil Young, who is driving it to the White House this month. The dog home is intended to be used as a vehicle to introduce the American public to sustainable materials and practices.Summa Canum features a greenroof, reclaimed wood and zero-VOC paint. Vegetation will be sent to the White House after the dog home is received so that the Obamas may plant it themselves if desired. The home is built with cedar reclaimed from Andrew Jackson’s estate after a tornado felled trees on the property in 1998. Many of these trees were planted by Jackson himself. A certificate of authenticity for the wood is included with the dog home.Neil Young will be driving to the White House in March 2009 in his super-efficient hybrid 1959 Lincoln Continental to promote environmentally responsible vehicles; Summa Canum will be riding along in the convoy and delivered to the White House. The dog home generated enough enthusiasm among members of the green community that almost all of the materials were donated.Summa Canum is more than a doghouse—it is an effort to promote and introduce sustainable materials to the American public through an accessible object. Sustainable Pet Design and the sponsors of Summa Canum hope to create excitement through the idea that green is cool and patriotic. The interest it generates will provide an opportunity to present greenroofs and eco-friendly materials as concrete ways to decrease climate change and waste, lower health concerns and provide green jobs.

Million Doodle March

On March 29,individuals from across North America are lobbying for a cause they truly believe in. An issue yet to be answered.. but often in heated debate. A decision that President Obama will be responding to in the coming weeks, which will be highly anticipated. This will not address the economy, the war, or global warming... but for many people takes on its own personal significance. What type of dog will be the First Dog of his administration?.
On March 29, Doodle owners (and their dogs and friends) from across North America have joined forces for the first ever MILLION DOODLE MARCH. This passionate event will make it clear, that Doodle owners want their voices heard.
Join friends of Bocker the Labradoodle, Matilda First Dog, and Arbo for the Million Doodle March….a dog-a-thon walk throughout the United States and Canada. You don’t have to be a doodle to walk and you don’t have to leave your home town in order to participate in this international event…butwalk your dog for your favorite charity, get sponsors, or just walk yourself for a cause.
This Million Doodle March will also act as an International FUNdraiser…a “dog a thon”..a walk for a cause to benefit The Autism Connection and National Service Dogs (Canada) and the Humane Society. Fundraising pledged to walkers will benefit their own chosen local charities. It is our own Cyber-Walk.. a special day to set aside to do something good for those in need no matter where we all live.Visit our Facebook Page for the Million Doodle Walk Cause Visit our Facebook Page for the Million Doodle Walk EVENT and info where to send your donations. Thanks!
Please visit Bocker’s Store for Buttons and T-shirts to Support his cause (Buttons and T-shirts designed by our good friends at toonEcards.com !)Click this link for Pledge Sheet for those sponsoring a walk in their home townClick here to download our Flyer (both in pdf format)

Hot Off The Printing Press In April

http://www.obama-dog.com/blog/2009/03/first-dog-gets-first-books.html

Even though the First Family is taking its time getting a dog – April still looks like the best guess – it’s comforting to know that book publishers are in a mad rush to put books about a First Dog on store shelves.
No fewer than three kids’ books are scheduled to be published starting in April – all about the new dog the Obamas are expecting to rescue for daughters Malia and Sasha.
An Obama dog will be an instant celebrity, so it’s no wonder that several authors and illustrators have created books that tell stories about being a four-legged resident of the White House (although we don’t know specifically what each book’s theme is).
“Anything about President Obama, people are looking for,” Jan Dundon, children’s coordinator at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Ill., told Publishers Weekly. “President Obama is in the news, and kids always love books about dogs.”
Here are the scheduled release dates for each book:
April 6: “First Dog,” by J. Patrick Lewis and Beth Zapitello, illustrated by Tim Bowers, $14.95. Published by Sleeping Bear Press.
April 7: “Which Puppy?” by Kate Feiffer, illustrated by Jules Feiffer, $16.99. Originally scheduled to be released April 21. Published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.
April 28: “Now Hiring: White House Dog,” by Gina Bazer and Renanah Lehner, illustrated by Andrew Day, $16.99. Originally scheduled for June release. Published by Walker Books for Young Readers.

More HOPE!

White House tosses water on dog tale

by Rebecca Cole
Labradoodle lovers, take heart.
After months of speculation, it appeared that the selection of a first dog was at hand. People magazine, with a fetching report on its Website today, revealed that First Lady Michelle Obama has narrowed the family's choice to a rescued Portuguese water dog. All that stands in the way now is Spring break - then comes a dog in April.

"You're getting some scoops here,'' the first lady told the magazine, People reported, and "the only thing still up in the air is the name."
But is the magazine barking up the wrong tree?
The first lady's press secretary, Katie Lelyveld, threw cold water on the report today, suggesting that a decision actually has not been made.
"They have not selected a breed," Lelyveld said. "Mrs. Obama likes the Portuguese water dog, but she is only one of four votes.''
The Obamas have not narrowed the search down to a particular breed, the spokeswoman said, but "their primary focus now is that they get a dog that works with their lifestyle." President Barack Obama had allowed in an earlier interview that the family had narrowed its search to the water dog or a Labradoodle, not a breed really, but a cross between a Labrador retriever and the Standard poodle.
(First Lady Michelle Obama may grace the cover of People magazine, with the story of the dog hunt, but President Barack Obama is featured on the cover of LA Tails, a complimentary magazine for pet lovers which dedicated a recent edition to rescue puppies.)
If the Obamas do decide on a Portuguese water dog, that might be difficult, says Mary Harkins, coordinator of rescue and relocation for the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. A very active breed, some Portuguese water dogs "are without an off-switch - they just go all day," Harkins explains. "It might be a little bit too much for a family who has never owned a dog before, especially this family."
The No. 1 reason that Portuguese water dogs are rescued, Harkins says, is because owners who bought them as puppies didn't realize their prodigious activity levels.
Intelligent and a strong swimmer, historically used as a net-tending working dog by Portuguese fishermen, the PWD was taught to dive underwater and herd fish into nets. The relatively obscure breed is described by the American Kennel Club as providing an "indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness."
Finding a rescue PWD may be tough: Last year, only five PWDs were rescued , she says, and she already has a long waiting list.
"It's pretty difficult," Harkin says. "We're not that big of a breed that we would see a lot of dogs."

There Is Still HOPE for a Labradoodle!

This just in from the Chicago Sun-Times:

By
Lynn Sweeton February 25, 2009

WASHINGTON--No lucky dog yet.
Just to clear the record--President Obama and First Lady Michelle have NOT YET picked a dog breed. After touching base Wednesday with Obama White House East Wing staff about a report in People Magazine that a puppy has been selected-- the word is that the final pick is likely not to come until April.
"The Obamas have not yet selected a dog," I was told. Back in January President Obama said the frontrunners were a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound. The First Lady seemed partial to a Portuguese water hound in an interview in the new People Magazine out Friday, but one is not to read into that.