The Obamas have revealed that they plan to adopt a Portuguese water dog. They’re in for an exciting ride, says long-time owner Sabine Durrant.
A friend once overheard a conversation I was having with a passerby about my dog, Henry, and afterwards turned to me in amazement. “I can’t believe what you just said. I didn’t know your dog didn’t do that. He’s the perfect dog. Why doesn’t everybody have one?”
Flattered, I muttered something about how quite a few breeds didn’t shed. “Oh, shed,” she said. “I thought you said they didn’t shit.”
A Portuguese water dog, on those grounds alone, is not perfect. In fact, the breed is prone to an upset digestive system. (Note to visiting dignitaries: be wary on that White House lawn.) Even so, the Obamas have made a good choice. A labradoodle, another hypo-allergenic breed which the first family considered, is fine in so far as it goes. But a Portuguese water dog, or a PWD as they known among breeders, is clearly a miracle among canines.
The new first dog will have webbed feet. It will do front crawl. (In Portugal, they used to help the fishermen by herding fish.) It will carry a shoe or a hat or a glove in its mouth for every waking hour. It will frequently give every impression of being a person zipped up in a dog suit. It may even, like ours, sing along to a harmonica. It will be endlessly affectionate — nudging Obama vigorously if he stops stroking him — and tirelessly energetic.
Ah yes … tirelessly energetic. “From the size perspective,” Michelle Obama reckoned, “they’re sort of middle of the road — it’s not small, but it’s not a huge dog.”
It’s a duty to point out that PWDs do, let’s say, vary in their behaviour. Sasha (7) and Malia (10) will hopefully be bowled over only in a good way. And one assumes there aren’t many sheep on Capitol Hill to be chased or barbecues to demolish. Our dog once rounded a bush in a relative’s garden with a live and still just about struggling chicken in his mouth (the chicken survived but was very quiet for a long time afterwards).
The Obamas should also watch out for the paintwork. A PWD, standing on its hind legs and keen to be let out, can do considerable damage to a back door. Keep food out of reach too. I have never forgiven ours for eating one end of the football pitch-shaped birthday cake I toiled over for my six-year-old’s birthday (he didn’t eat the other end because he couldn’t reach it).
Fantastic dog, though, Mr President. And one day, maybe, they will breed one which doesn’t shit, at which time the Portuguese water dog really will have the whole man’s-best-friend thing entirely sewn up. – guardian.co.uk