WOW! It's been a busy few days here with the arrival of the new member of the White House. The phones haven't stopped and the emails are still being answered.
While these dogs may look like cute little cuddly teddy bears, they can be a handful as the new owners of "BO" are finding out.
A few things you should know about Portuguese Water Dogs if you are considering one for your family. They love paper, paper towels are a favorite. Nothing is safe on counters. They bring a whole new meaning to 'cleaning off the counter top. Mr. Big, as little as he is, is a prime example of counter shopping (table in this case).
They require training, grooming (hair cuts every 6-8 weeks), a lot of interaction with people and dogs as young dogs and adults, brushing and lots of exercise. They are also notorious chewers. Anything at their level is fair game, shoes, table or chair legs, that antique buffet you got from your great grandmother, clothes, Barbies, Kens, other dolls, toy trucks, steering wheels, couch cushions, whatever it is, they will try to chew it. They will also help with the landscaping. Don't like what you have? Tell them, they will rearrange things for you. They are great at removal. Maybe not exactly what you would consider, but it's satisfactory to them. Need a post hole? Just tell them where to dig, they're the best in the business!
Yes, I love my dogs, but my yard, which at one time had lovely flowers inside the fence and around the house has turned into dog heaven. The flowers are gone, the holes have appeared and the grass is nice and green these days.................... where it survives! Life goes on, the dogs are happy and don't complain about the dirt.
The good things about the breed outweigh the bad, but they are not a breed for everyone. You need a lot of love, energy, patience and most of all... a great sense of humor for this breed. Several of the dogs you see here are in show coats, the others are in their everyday wear.
Just think how much I save on fertilizer! It's been a long few days for the group, Birdie says it's time for a nap!
5 comments:
So TRUE Pat! I have been more than just concerned about how the first dog is going to affect the breed. I literally have been having dreams about it. It is up to the breeders to be so picky on who they hand off their pups to. Lets add to the list...dumpster divers, sport-coat tailors. Not to mention they are made of velcro! I am shaking my head and smiling at the memories with Belle.-Trish
I remember your story about the trip to the place with a hot water heater and how everyone was laughing at the dog's antics. And the freezer story was a hoot too.
I think there will be plenty of people in the White House to keep an eye on Bo...but I am concerned that they ALL must give the same commands or he will simply ignore everyone!
XOXOXO Subee
I used to have a lovely garden, too. Now it lacks grass in some ares, the race track, has holes and trenches, the battle ground, and flowers have to live in cages. Is it worth it? Darn right.
Let's hope the usual short attention span of the media applies to Bo and our breed.
Love all your comments and can relate. I would add that you will forever sleep in a sandy bed, wake up to someone washing your face with their tongue, and, in Scout's case, have to poop shortly after getting in the car resulting in a good knowledge base of all suitable roadside pooping places. I sure hope that Bo will not promote the "Dalmation" effect which is what happened with 101 Dalmations.
I love that you wrote this post Pat! As soon as I heard, I knew the White House was going to be eaten :) We can't go anywhere without hearing "is that an Obama dog?" Stella just isn't used to being a celebrity.
Our dog park was closed for landscaping for a few weeks. She decided she didn't like that so she chewed the coffee table. (never, ever, ever done that before)
She's a handful, but we wouldn't have it any other way!
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