Obama's Pick Portuguese Water Dog (Well, Sort Of)

UPDATED: Sunday, April 12th -- See Links at end of this post re breaking news on Obama's reportedly new dog...

Ahem. What did Mistress Chill tell you MONTHS AND MONTHS ago re the Obama dog? (See previous post months ago.)

Michele Obama has reportedly told People magazine (the lucky mother + F-word %^##@* elitist media pigs) that the Portuguese Water dog is on the short list as the much-awaiting First Dog. And that it will be a 'rescued' Portuguese water dog. Hopefully President Obama will have better luck picking out a good dog than a Commerce Secretary. (Lately, those picks have been biting him in the butt.)

SO SURE was Mistress Chilli about this that she dispatched Yours Truly to the Westminster Kennel Club earlier this month and had her hunt down, specifically, the Portuguese Water Dog group judging during the day, took some pictures of what these rather handsome animals look like, and even spoke to one of the professional handlers of said breed. You can listen to my interview, see my pictures of two of the Portuguese Water Dogs that competed (one looks like a rather bizzare half-long-hair Dalmation, the other a more traditional brown-and-white color)and hear my coverage of Westminster and conversation with the Portuguese Water Dog handler on Episode 19 of "Pets In the City" (see the scrolling widget on the side of this blog and just click.)

Of course, in the few hours since People broke the story and now, the White House, in typical political fashion, is backing off of the story (ah, Obama, you learn fast) in saying 'no definite decision has been made.' Sheesh.

If David Frei and the organization he represents, the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club, have any say it will be a Portuguese Water Dog and not the alternative choice, a Labradoodle (a cross between a Labrador and a Standard Poodle.) I participated in a 'media press conference' via phone a day or so before the Westminster show and posed the question to him, and you could almost here David curl his lips and growl. He expressed anger that 'people were lying to the President, and I'm pretty sure that's against the law' (pretty much a direct quote!) in telling him that a Laboradoole might make a good choice for the family. I have to admit he did make a good point when he elaborated--that if the dog ended up more "Labrador" than "Poodle" (the Poodle being the more hypo-allergenic part of the hybrid) Sasha and Malia better get the Claritin ready--or be ready to give up the dog, which in itself would create a spectacle.

Sorry I haven't written lately--everything from challenges all of us ink-and-paper publishers are facing hitting me in the head to the heater in my bedroom not working for two weeks, and me sleeping right under a window that might as well have been wide open with the winter wind blowing in. Let me catch up on some things and I'll catch YOU up on some rather interesting happenings in the New York pet world. After you listen to the Westminster podcast give Episode 20 about the shelter systems in New York a listen--pretty eye-opening, and, at least to one high-ranking official here, an explanation of what 'no kill' actually means. Hint: it doesn't mean what it literally says.

UPDATE: Links to first news about the new Obama pup:

First Dog Charile? (A Rather Mysterious Website)
http://www.firstdogcharlie.com/
(Supposedly the website that ‘broke’ the story. Mistress Chilli finds it very interesting that the dog’s ‘original’ name was Charlie, supposedly in his first didn’t-work-out home, and the website is named ‘First Dog Charile.’ Coincidence much? Visit the website and it gets more bizarre.

Who Let the Dog Out? Obama’s Pet ID Leaked Before Debut (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6369634.html

AP – Obamas Pick Portuguese Water Dog
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbyPtd-WxaAlO17Z6CCE-ZB69dCAD97GMH5G0

White House Readies for Presidential Pup
http://news.aol.com/article/white-house-dog/423774?icid=main|main|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fwhite-house-dog%2F423774

And, I have my problems with TMZ, but here you go:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/11/white-house-obama-family-dog/