Chars Dogs and Dog Info

It appears as though President-Elect Barack Obama has come down to two choices with regards to what breed of puppy to obtain for his White House household. The two breeds are a Portuguese water hound or a Labradoodle. We all knew that the new puppy had to be hypoallergenic because of Malia having allergies. These two types of dogs are perfect because of this. 

According to Obama, “We’re closing in on it. This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary.” I have seen so much written up about the Obama’s getting a puppy. The reporters have made such a big deal out of it that Obama is almost continually asked about the new puppy. I bet at times he wishes that he hadn’t made it public. 

The Portuguese water hound is noted for how well these dogs swim. The fisherman in Portugal love this breed of dog because of their skill at driving the fish into nets and also because the water hound has webbed feet.

The Labradoodle is a special breed that mixes the standard poodle with the Labrador retriever. The breed was created in 1989 to try to get a guide dog that didn’t shed very much. 

I still hope President-elect Barack Obama and his family choose to adopt the puppy from a shelter or rescue group. This would be a perfect example for the United States citizens.

A three year old Dalmatian, by the name of Button, gave birth to a huge litter of 18 puppies by Caesarean section on December 23, 2008. Button lives in the United Kingdom and this is a Dalmatian birthing record for the UK. Button is the daughter of a dog who appeared in 102 Dalmatians, the Disney movie. Last year she gave birth to 16 puppies in a litter. 

The human grandparents of the puppies feed the new pups several times a day since Button cannot handle all those pups. All of the 18 puppies are in great health and doing well. They all have new homes to go to and the human’s are going to keep one puppy from the litter. They will name their new puppy Rudolph. The family states that they do not desire to breed Button again. I guess 18 puppies this time and 16 puppies last year is enough and I don’t blame them a bit.

(Illustration by Tim Mattson)

The above picture was created by artist Shepard Fairey to be utilized as a poster for the new Adopt-a-Pet.com campaign that hopes to spotlight the animals that are at shelters across the United States that are up for adoption. Mr. Fairey also designed the “Hope” image for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. 

Fairey said that the picture of the dog on the poster reminded him of a mutt dog he had as a pet when he was young. An estimated 7 million adoptable animals are put to death in the US every year according to Adopt-a-Pet.com. They feel that by teaming up with Fairey, they are able to persuade individuals to go to a local shelter to adopt a new pet. 

As we all know, if individuals adopt a new pet from a shelter, they are saving a life. With the recession going on, more and more family pets are being forced out because of foreclosing of homes and there is a higher necessity of finding homes for these pets. I feel that Shepard Fairey has designed an icon out of the common mutt, establishing that a common mutt is a work of art. 

I really hope this increases adoption of pets from animal shelters and rescue groups. They are so much in need of good homes right now. 

The dog is still at large and hasn’t been caught but his image is on security tape after shoplifting at a Murray, Utah market. The name of the store was Smith’s Food and Drug Store and the thief was a dog. The dog gingerly enters the store through the front door, as any customer would, sniffs a small girl at the checkout counter and proceeds through the store like he knew what he was after. The dog acted like he really knew what aisle to go to-the dog food aisle. The manager of the store said he had never seen the dog before.

Once the dog reaches the correct aisle, he picks up a rawhide bone and proceeds to exit the store. However, he is busted by the manager who asks the dog to drop the bone. The dog ignores him. Since the manager wanted to keep all his fingers intact, he didn’t try to take the bone away from the dog. The dog went past the manager and out the front door of the store. This was all captured on video by the security tape. 

WOW! What an amazing and smart dog! I hope he’s enjoying his Christmas treat!

The movie Marley and Me came out in theaters on Christmas day. It is a story about a Labrador retriever who is rather unruly and lacks in discipline. He is also sweet and lovable. Although he can’t seem to get the idea of being on a leash or being obedient, but still seems to steal the show.

It stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as Marley’s parents and they adopt him. They are really cute together and go together quite well with Marley. For any dog lover, this movie will really make you laugh and be sad at the end. It is a very entertaining movie for the whole family and especially those who are doggie parents. 

The Guinness World Records has named their new World’s Oldest Dog for the 2009 book. She is named Chanel from New York and is a blonde wire-haired dachshund. Chanel was born in 1988 which makes her over 20 years old. Her owner, Denice Shaughnessy, says that Chanel has some cataract problems but other than that is very healthy and active. 

Chanel has lived on an Army base with her mom for most of her life, which her owner says attributes to her long life. The Army mandates that dogs that live on base have to have their yearly exams and vaccinations. The owner says she would do that anyway because the dogs are like her kids. Chanel lives with her owner and three year old sister that is a dachshund also at Port Jefferson Station. 

It looks like Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden got one up on President-Elect Barack Obama. He has already picked out his new puppy. Biden chose a German shepherd puppy from a breeder in Pennsylvania. I do wish he would have chosen to adopt from an animal shelter or rescue though. There are so many pups that need good homes at shelters or rescues, but that’s the way it goes.

Jill Biden has promised her husband he could have a new puppy if he and Obama won the election in November and she stayed true to her word. The 3 month old puppy will be housebroken and trained in the next few weeks and then brought into the Biden household after the inauguration in January 2009. Biden has said he will let his grandchildren choose a name for the new pup. German shepherds are usually great family dogs and very even tempered. The new little boy should be a great addition to the family. 

Barney, the White House pup, has his new White House Christmas Video out and it is adorable. Since it is his last, since he, Mrs. Beazley and their owners will be leaving in January, he went all out.

You can watch it above but I’ll give you a sneak peek. The video begins showing the White House in all its glory and President and Mrs. Bush, their daughters and son-in-law, Barney, Mrs. Beazley and Willard the cat sitting together talking about their last Christmas in the White House. It shows the beautiful decorations all through the halls and the gorgeous trees all decorated, with Barney’s help, of course. Tired Barney takes a little nap, and we get to see his dream which is really cute. They’ve even added a few Olympic athletes this year which is really neat.

Well I don’t want to give it all away, so take a look. If you love dogs, you’ll love this video! Enjoy!

This is a great story about Finnegan, the squirrel, and Mademoiselle Giselle, the Papillion dog.

Debby Cantlon, who plans to release the young squirrel back into the wild, bottle-fed the baby squirrel Finnegan, after it was brought to her house. When Debby took in the little animal and started to care for him, she found herself with an unbelievable nurse’s aide: her pregnant Papillion, Mademoiselle Giselle.

Finnegan was residing in a nest in a cage just days before Giselle was due to deliver her puppies.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Keep loving everyone,
Even the squirrely ones!

Jiffy, an 11 year old border collie mix, was found frozen on the sidewalk, but his extra weight may have saved his life. The owner, a 59 year old woman in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, had let the dog out and then could not get Jiffy back in the house. The dog is said to weigh almost 120 pounds which is about 70 pounds more than he should. The woman said she would check on him every few hours. Most dogs wouldn’t survive the single digit temperatures overnight, but Jiffy probably did since the fat helped insulate him. 

The Humane Society poured warm water over his backside to get him free. It is not known yet if there would be any lingering health issues. Jiffy is now in a warm place at the Humane Society.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of animal neglect.

What would you have done? Well, the first thing, I wouldn’t let my dogs get that over weight. That is animal neglect to begin with. Second of all, there is no way that if one of my dogs would not come in at night that I would just leave him outside. If one of my dogs would have gotten stuck to a sidewalk, I would have called someone, anyone, to help me or find out the best way to get him unstuck. I would not have left him outside. The poor woman doesn’t deserve to have a dog.