Dog-gate: the West Highland White Terrier gets shafted

[brentspeak]

After being rumored to be the front-runner, the Westie gets left in the dust as a Labra-Poodle and something called a "Water Dog" get to battle it out for the right to serve as the White House Dog. This is an outrage! ;)

[Occam Bandage]

1. I'm sick of these premeditated SLAPS IN THE FACE to Westies.

I thought we would get change.

[LaydeeBug]

104. Of course, this tongue in cheek approach does little to marginalize the Warren-ted outrage.

I hope he does better.

[PearliePoo2]

2. What's the latest?

I thought they were going to get a shelter dog??? :shrug:

[EraOfResponsibility]

4. They are going to get a shelter dog

They just have to find whatever shelter has the kind of dog they want.

[janx]

3. Whoa--water dog? Portuguese water dog? n/t

[femmocrat]

6. PE Obama called it a Portuguese "Water Hound".....

I guess he doesn't know a lot about dogs.

Yes, he did say they would look for a shelter dog. I doubt they would find a Portuguese Water Dog at a shelter, though.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. There may be a rescue org.

[AnnieBW]

63. There certainly is one for Westies

in the DC area. My friend Phil and his wife are involved with it.

[LibertyLover]

10. There is a rescue group for just about every type of dog

so I'm sure that Portuguese Water Dogs have one - and going through a rescue group is as good as a shelter. And if the Obamas get a PWD, it can play with Senator Edward Kennedy's PWD and the Obamas can get valuable advice. If they can't get a German Shepherd Dog or a Greyhound, a PWD is pretty cool too.

[janx]

11. Sure he knows about dogs! A hound is a germanic term for a dog,

although the dog in my sig is more houndy than the rest, when you get down to specifics. ;-) The Portuguese water dog is also known as the Portuguese water hound.

[lonestarnot]

24. So is vunder hund!

:)

[janx]

26. YES! Vunder Hund!

:rofl:

[elleng]

34. AND poodles are also water dogs,

"The name poodle comes from the German word pudel, short for pudelhund or "splashing dog", reflecting the breed's development from a water dog; the word pudel is related to the English word puddle.) However, most sources concur that the French are responsible for developing the modern breed into its current form, and developing the different sizes. The French name for the poodle is caniche, referring to ducks and the poodles' water dog origins."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle

[TahitiNut]

42. The PWD is thought to be related to the poodle ... except stronger and sturdier.

The poodle WAS originally a water retriever and much of the good qualities of the breed (intelligent, swimmers, easily trained to retrieve, etc.) that remain are due to their heritage as sporting dogs. PWDs, on the other hand, were bred as working dogs, which is why they're more muscular and big-boned. Good qualities.

[janx]

45. They are so smart.

A WWII vet I knew when I was a toddler brought a tiny male puppy back from France in the pocket of his bomber jacket. The dog's name was Toute de Suite!

[elleng]

65. Great story!

Imagine that pup!

[janx]

76. He was my bud when I was a toddler. along with the Dane my parents had.

Very laid back guy. He had a lot of white and curly hair.

[elleng]

79. THAT's a match!

I've wanted Standard Poodle with Bedlington Terrier as a pair of friends! Don't have ANYONE now.

[janx]

86. Bedlingtons are cool! They look like lambs. I only knew one, once,

and I thoroughly enjoyed that character.

[femmocrat]

43. There is a Portuguese Hound, but it is different.

It is also called a Portuguese Warren Hound and is used for rabbit hunting. It is not the same as the Portuguese Water Dog ( Cao d'Aqua ) which is not a hunter but a retriever/water dog (thus the webbed feet).

[janx]

47. A-HAH!

I did not know that!

[mt13]

85. that is one beautiful...

gray ghost!

[janx]

89. I've lived with dogs and other animals all of my life, and

this dog is the most loving and dedicated (sometimes I say codependent) animal I've ever known. He must be with me everywhere. He's here now, curled up on the futon as I type. He needs a lot of exercise though--more than I have given him. I get him out to run as I can, but wow, he is one bundle of energy, and he's now eight years old.

[mt13]

92. i love Weimaraners...

i knew one when i was a teenager and i can agree with you, they are a bundle of activity! but those eyes! wow.

[Hieronymus]

103. No mention of Portuguese Water Hound, but a lot about

the Portuguese Water Dog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Water_Dog

[BrklynLiberal]

5. The Portuguese Water Dog???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Water_Dog

Very similar to Poodles. Hair does not shed. Not a terrible choice.

[janx]

12. They are great dogs! n/t

[DevonRex]

16. Just look at that face. Awwwwwwwwwww. nt

[TahitiNut]

21. Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps

With a bark and a belly flop, a dark bundle of fur dives over the side of The Good Ship Jollipup, paddles through the chilly chop of San Francisco Bay, snags a bobbing baseball and heads back to the cabin cruiser. With a few strong strokes, the curly-haired dog is back aboard the Jollipup with a valuable catch: a baseball that a local animal adoption facility can auction off for big bucks.

It's all part of a day's work for members of the Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps (aka BARK), a team of six Portuguese water dogs trained to retrieve homers slammed into the cold water beyond the right-field wall of the San Francisco Giants' stadium, Pacific Bell Park.

The crowds love it, and its all done for a good cause: helping to fund the no-kill animal shelter Pets In Need. The shelter gets to keep any balls the dogs retrieve and auction them for a pretty price. The dogs are rewarded with chicken and fish treats.

Meet Surfer, Justy, Kyma, Shadow, and Rio ...


http://www.e-fido.net/working_dogs.html

[BrklynLiberal]

23. Right!! these are the dogs that retrieve the hits that go over the wall and into

the water in SF.

[TahitiNut]

38. Yup. McCovey Cove ... and B.A.R.K. helps fund rescue and care of PWD's.

They're pretty awesome.

[elleng]

71. THAT is KEWL!

.

[Jennicut]

39. Cuties! I want to kiss them and no shedding? Even better.

I had a black lab and black hair was everywhere.

[Pirate Smile]

8. What about the Schnauzers? When I told my hubby what two breeds the doggy-rama was down to -

his only response was - why doesn't anyone ever go with a Schnauzer. Yes, we have one.



:(

I do have to admit though - this guy is really damn cute.



He is one of those crazy Portuguese-water-ca-ca-poo-poo-doodle dandy dogs. :)

[janx]

14. They are NOT ca-ca poo-poo.

They kick ass in water.

[Pirate Smile]

20. It was a joke. Doodle Dandy isn't a part of the name either.

There are Cockapoo's though. I didn't spell it right though. Poodle and Cocker Spaniel mix. The names like the labradoodle are a bit amusing. I like them and have defended them to others less amused by the names. :)

[janx]

30. Oh, OK.

;-)

[BrklynLiberal]

32. The funny part is that all those mixed dogs..Labradoodles and Cockapoos

are really just mixed breeds like you can get in your neighborhood shelter...for free. People are paying over $1000 for them...and having them shipped from across the country and around the world.
I don't get it.

[janx]

33. I know ;-) because I have one of those shelter dogs.

She's a mix of some kind of northern husky dog and golden retriever. I love her dearly!

[BrklynLiberal]

36. Hey...You can start a new breed and sell the pups for thousands...

:sarcasm:

[janx]

37. But who would go for these radar ears?

[Muttocracy]

44. That's what Brian Kilcommons calls a "White Dog" or an "Unidentified Furry (Collie?) Object"

or something like that. The "Collie mix" in a shelter can be just about any furry mutt.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0446519499/ref=sib_dp_pop_toc?ie=UTF8&p=S009#reader-link

And as an owner of two GSD mixes, I love radar ears :)

[BrklynLiberal]

50. Me too. When my dog..a GSD..was a puppy his ears would stick up over the top of the porch, and that

was all you could see... a pair of floating ears. :D

[Muttocracy]

53. When I get home I can tell which of the dogs is at the window

by the ear silhouette - big triangles, but with or without fringe? :) One of my dogs had mis-matched mutt ears though the floppier one stands up better now than it did we he was younger.

[BrklynLiberal]

56. That is great :D

[janx]

58. "with or without fringe"--

:rofl:

I understand.

[Muttocracy]

60. fringe - yur grl has it! nt

[janx]

61. Yes she does. Lots of it!

:rofl:

Sometimes it gets matted and we have to trim it!

[janx]

54. Thanks. I do too, although she had an ear infection recently

that proved costly during the holidays. She's "sensitive" and freaks out about various kinds of bags, especially trash bags. This must have something to do with the way she was treated before we adopted her. (?)

[BrklynLiberal]

48. What a sweet face...S/He must be a real love.

[janx]

57. She is. And she defends her space against the weim, who

is a very mellow guy--but she never hurts him.

[mt13]

87. then who is the...

Weimaraner?

[janx]

91. That's HUCK! n/t

[mt13]

93. what a beauty!

barrel-chest and all!!!!

[janx]

94. Somebody got pissed because he's skinny in this pic, but

weims tend to be slim if they're healthy. It's also the angle of the pic. He's in great shape, I and the vet are proud to say, and he's spoiled as hell, as many weims tend to be.

When I leave my office and computer soon, he'll pad after me, jump into bed with me, circle counter-clockwise to make his nest, and make those houndy groaning and lip-smacking noises of contentment before he snoozes off. One friend of mine calls him dog-boy because he seems as much human as dog.

[Hieronymus]

105. Shelter dogs are not free.

[Lilith Velkor]

108. Or a schnoodle

:loveya:

[Muttocracy]

9. Ted Kennedy has 2 Portuguese Water Dogs - Sunny and Splash. nt

[Pirate Smile]

13. A photo of Sunny and Splash.

[Jennicut]

40. Teddy's dogs are cool.

[wyldwolf]

15. the West Highland White Terrier - the Howard Dean of the dog world

[Jennicut]

41. ROFL! Poor unwanted mistreated dissed Westies

[DevonRex]

17. Now that is just the LAST straw. Who could give that cute little doggie

the shaft? I want him/her. That is just the cutest little thing ever.

[AlCzervik]

18. white gets dirty.

next.

[DevonRex]

19. Say that to that cute little Westie's face, you meanie. :)

[AlCzervik]

22. oh it's cute and all but white, it would make me look fat.

:o

[DevonRex]

27. Heh. And you couldn't wear it after labor day.

[AlCzervik]

28. :-)

:rofl:

[janx]

35. ...

:rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl: :rofl:

[janx]

31. Does my butt look fat?

:rofl:

[Muttocracy]

49. what you can't see in that cute picture? grass stains!

My border collie mix gets grass stains on his white paws. Think of that juicy White House lawn and a white dog rolling on it!!!

[janx]

64. TRUE--

stains and the sweet smell of grass on the paws, especially after the grass is cut. ;-)

[Clio the Leo]

25. Perhaps this was like when Joey B told us...

.... "I have no idea what's going on. It's not me guys!" two days before he was announced as the VP pick. :)

[elleng]

29. PWD demands a lot of attention -

exercise and 'work,' stuff to do.

[Muttocracy]

46. yeah, and they're smaller than Labradoodles, but these are pretty big for the girls to walk.

I would think they'd do better with a small-to-medium size dog. (I say this as someone who's been dragged at high speed by my 70lb dogs!)

[elleng]

69. I agree.

Their walks won't exactly be 'typical,' I think; on the 'grounds,' not along the streets of DC. And dog may be more likely to 'drag at high speed!' They will have to go through training, ALL of them!

[BrklynLiberal]

52. Maybe the new President can take him running with him.

[PM Martin]

59. But they are so cute!

[elleng]

68. beautiful and handsome,

but which dogs aren't one or all of those, really?

[Unsane]

51. I vote for Maltese.

[BrklynLiberal]

55. I found an article about this..and the cutest pic of the PWD.

Portuguese Water Hound: Obamas' Puppy?

President-elect Barack Obama said on ABC's "This Week" that he had narrowed down the puppy he was getting his daughters to two breeds: a Labradoodle and a Portuguese water dog.

According to the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, the dogs are "great with children." The dogs date back to pre-Christian times; the first written description of a Portuguese Water Dog is a 1297 monk's report of a dying sailor brought out of the sea by a dog with a "black coat of rough hair, cut to the first rib and with a tuft on the tip of his tail." Long popular in Portugal, they were first imported to the U.S. in 1968.

The American Kennel Club describes the Portuguese Water Dog as "a loyal companion and alert guard. This highly intelligent utilitarian breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy; an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned mass; a ruggedly built, well-knit body; and a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder. The Portuguese Water Dog provides an indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness." Why do I hear the voice of Roger Caras??

Sen. Ted Kennedy has two Portuguese Water Dogs, Sunny and Splash.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/11/portuguese-water-dog-obam_n_156930.html

[elleng]

67. We can look for them,

and listen for 'him,' at Westminster soon, early Feb.

[BrklynLiberal]

72. cool. Do you ever watch the Crufts show, in England?

It is interesting since you see some breeds there that you do not see here...and they do not clip ears or dock tails. Nice look for the pups...more natural.

[elleng]

75. I think I've seen it once.

Did I read something about them recently? Have to check.

[BrklynLiberal]

82. Here is some info. I think it will be toward the Spring.

http://www.chiff.com/pets/crufts-dog-show.htm

http://www.crufts.org.uk/

[elleng]

90. THANKS! Been watching!

.

[MarjorieG]

62. Don't remember the Westie as front-runner. While loving them, beyond cute, not the most manageable.

[elleng]

66. Yes, that really is an issue with Westies.

.

[foxfeet]

74. They're terriers, after all.

Mellow humility is not the strong suit for any terrier. (Speaking as one owned by two cairn terriers, cousins to Westies.)

[elleng]

78. I've had Bedlingtons,

and they were much more 'mellow' than any Westies I've run into! Humble? Don't know about that!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

81. I've known three Westies and they've all been pretty calm

All three of them thought they were much bigger than they were when it came to other dogs, though.

[foxfeet]

83. They just waited for you to turn your back

before the REAL fun started.

[elleng]

96. !!!!!

.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

70. Please let them pick the "Portugese Water Dog"

"Doodles" are overpriced puppy mill mutts. It's horribly unethical to buy when when millions of dogs are dying in shelters.

[Critters2]

73. I'm willing to bet they buy rather than getting a shelter dog. I'd love to be wrong about this,

but I think they're planning to purchase.


And yeah, probably a "doodle"

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

80. I mean, I can understand buying a purebred dog, but buying a fucking mutt just boggles the mind

No disrepect to mutts, because the coolest dog my family ever had was a pit/GSD mix my dad picked off the street.

And, people get REALLY touchy, when "doodles" get called mutts. The fascination/love of "designer breeds" just is incomprehensible to me. Let's take two poor examples of each breed and breed them together and sell them for twice as much as a real purebred dog! WTF?

Or the new trend of breeding "Border Jacks" in search of the ultimate agility dog. The agility/fly ball people are already breeding absolutely neurotic "Border Collies" that don't have an "off switch," and end up disproportionately in rescue. Now some of them are breeding those whacked out BCs with Jack Russels to get a smaller, more hyper dog for agility and flyball. yeah, that's going to end well.

[Critters2]

88. You're preaching to the choir! I'm on my second purebred beagle

from a shelter or rescue (beagle #1--shelter dog; beagle #2--breed rescue). Because they were obvious purebreds, I knew what I was getting both times. And I didn't have to get these great purebreds from a puppy mill.

[BrklynLiberal]

100. One more case of man screwing with nature and then having to deal

with the unforeseen consequences. And it will be the result of their meddling that will pay the highest price...as you said, they will end up in the shelters..if they are lucky.

[Muttocracy]

116. "Border Jacks"? That's like mixing two explosives! nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

122. Yeah, and neither end well

[janx]

77. I agree. n/t

[mt13]

84. the best dog i ever had...

was a Westie! his name was MacDougal, we called him Dougie for short. he was smart, adorable, devoted, lovable, and just had the best personality. a westie would make a great pet for the Obama girls!

[janx]

95. Some neighbors of mine had a Westie at one point, and I loved

that dog. He was smart and very laid back. Cracked me up.

[mt13]

98. and they are real hams!!!!!!!

Dougie would strike a pose any time someone had a camera.

[elleng]

97. My gift to this Dog-Loving Thread,

8 4+ weeks old Golden Retriever Pups!!!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shayla-%26-her-golden-retriever-puppies

[BrklynLiberal]

101. I have been watching them too!! I saw them being born!!!

Just fell on the site the night they were born!!!

[elleng]

106. OH Brklyn, what a coincidence!

I did too, heard about it here, I think, in pets 'club', missed EARLY births; its ALMOST their 5th birthday! and when I'm not at DU, I'm over there!

AND we may have discussed this before, I 'grew up' in Brooklyn (Clinton Hill/Fort Green); born in Manhattan, and after Brklyn, moved to L.I.

[BrklynLiberal]

107. Yes. I remember! I am still here in Brooklyn...near Coney Island.

When I am not here, I can be found there or at the Shiba Inu cam.
I am hooked on puppies. :D


If you have not been back to your old stomping grounds in a while, you would not recognize it. Gentrification has been rampant.

I was at the Shayla site for the first 4 puppies, I believe. By then it was like 2AM so I went to sleep. When I looked in the next day, there were 8 of them!!!!

Have you seen the cats jump into the pen with the puppies? Two of them were doing it right from the start. There is one, Squirt, who still jumps in now that they have moved to larger quarters. She goes in there and helps the pups lap up their mush. She is very gentle with the pups and they are pretty good with her. When they start to get rambunctious, she just jumps out of the pen.
There are videos posted of the cat in with the babies.

I looked over the Lazyriver site. She seems very dedicated to her fur family. I watched tributes to 3 of her pets that she has lost, and was crying during each one.

Did you know that she has 8 adults dogs...7 Goldens that are all related, I believe...different generations from the same stock. The 8th is a German Shepherd she got from a rescue. Now she has the 8 puppies as well. And she has 8 cats in the house, and 3 in the barn, and two horses.
If you go to the site you will be able to see some of the pics of her place. From the pics on the ecam site you can see what a great photographer she is. She has "family pictures" in which she has all the dogs of that moment set up on a picnic table...and they are great pics. In some there are 4 or 5 generations. She is obviously very good with animals. It looks like a wonderful place, and if I ever wanted to get a Golden Retriever, it would be either from a shelter/rescue, or from her.

Pictures of the whole clan at http://picasaweb.google.com/LazyriverGoldens
and puppy pics at http://jessica-grady.blogspot.com


If you have not already seen the site, check out www.lazyriver.ca She is in Canada, Quebec Province.


EDIT: Today is their fifth week birthday. They got so big and so cute so fast!!!

[elleng]

109. Hey Brklyn, been there, done that!

A friend of mine has an apartment in Midwood???, near Coney Island; he's trying to sell it. (Anyone you know might be interested?) We visited with his friends, walked up and down, and actually saw our old apartment! 201 Clinton Ave! They're condos now, and the area looks great.

Squirt had a GREAT time with 2 puppies today! he/she is really good with them! I'm there ALL THE TIME!

[BrklynLiberal]

111. Do you sign in, or just "lurk"?

[elleng]

113. Sign in;

elleng; used to lurk. You?

[elleng]

114. PS, lazyriver NOW

doing a 'tour' of the animals!

[BrklynLiberal]

115. I had to go out...and just got back.

Am watching Squirt get chewed on by the puppies..

[elleng]

117. Isn't that something???

Pups will be weighed soon, for their 5th week. Tomorrow its their mother's 6th birthday.

[BrklynLiberal]

118. They are being weighed right now...and I had read about tmw being Shayla's

6th BD. Sue said that this is her first and only litter. She is a very good breeder. Does not over do it with her dogs.

[elleng]

119. Yes. She's not primarily a breeder,

but an animal/Golden fan. Its amazing to watch all of them respond to her.

[BrklynLiberal]

121. She is very good at communicating with them...She has an amazing menagerie.

[elleng]

126. Brklyn, Pups are OUT of their 'box'

and playing with big guys!

How can I reach you?????

[ShortnFiery]

125. I enjoy watching your video stream. Shayla is a wonderful mom to her eight pups.

:-) :thumbsup:

[rvablue]

99. I've heard that Hillary and Bill forced Obama into the Labra-doodle decision

;-) :P

[elleng]

110. HAHAHAHA!

.

[brentspeak]

102. Continuing my thread - I have it on good authority that the Portugese Water Dog

is actually a cross-breed between a seal and a sheep dog. ;)

[Critters2]

112. Well, the sheepdog is English. So, I'm assuming the seal is the Portuguese part?

Portuguese seals. Who knew?

[zulchzulu]

120. Don't get me started about lab/border collie rescue mutts getting DENIED!

[Hepburn]

123. Terriers rule!!!

If not a Scottie...then it should have been the Westie!

:thumbsup:

[ShortnFiery]

124. Westies are too cool!

However, I still believe that they should opt for "A Shaggy Dog" - a full size Old English Sheepdog, OES (hypoallergenic - although requires at least an hour or two of grooming per week). There are many OES RESCUE organizations that they could contact. BTW, IMO the Obama Family should employ a breed "rescue" vice combing the shelters. The people who volunteer for this type of charity KNOW the individual dog's and breed characteristics much better than most good folks who volunteer for the shelter. That is, they know the PARTICULAR breed and the specifics of the individuals who are presently in foster care.

Picture this - Obama's sheepy (OES) and Biden's shepard romping on the WH lawn? :evilgrin:

[elleng]

127. MORE! Malia doing the puppy leg-work!

'The family research has been handled by elder daughter Malia, 10, who is allergic to dogs that shed. She took the lead in narrowing the search to the two hypoallergenic breeds recently announced. Sasha, 7, is no doubt consulting.

Malia "disseminates information to the powers that be," an aide said. "She's been leading the way on this."'


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011404223.html?hpid=topnews