TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

A BIG SPLASH

News Channel 8 photo by JIM HOCKETT

This Portugese Water Dog is similar to the one the Obamas will get as a family pet.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JACKIE BARRON jbarron@wfla.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2009

Updated: 03/20/2009 01:13 pm

ENGLEWOOD - In Ebba Patrick's backyard, more than a half-dozen black-and-white puppies bounce and roll.

"They look like frou-frou dogs, but they are not frou-frou dogs," Patrick says.

They are Portuguese water dogs, which recently caught the national spotlight when President Barack Obama and his family declared it their choice for family pet.

The Obamas like the breed because it barely sheds, making it safer in households where a family member, like one of the president's daughters, has allergies.

But Patrick says there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic pooch.

"All dogs have saliva, which is where a lot of the allergens come from, and these dogs lose hair," Patrick said. "They just don't shed as a Lab Labrador retriever sheds and spreads it everywhere."

Patrick, 67, is one of a handful of Floridians who breed Portuguese water dogs.

"These dogs are as close to human as you could imagine," she says.

She oversees one litter a year; that requires 15-hour days for a minimum of eight weeks.

"At my age you couldn't do it more than once a year. But I love it," Patrick says. "When you hold these puppies in your hand and they nuzzle your nose, what better reward is there?"

Eight puppies comprise this year's 6-week-old litter. They'll each be priced at $2,000.

The working-class, mid-size dog dates back hundreds of years. The breed gets its name from its origin as a friend of fishermen in Portugal, where the dogs were known to swim as much as five miles between boats and dive underwater to retrieve nets and herd the day's catch.

The Obamas have said they want to give a home to an older, rescued dog. Patrick says she's happy to hear it, although she warns Portuguese water dogs are usually quickly adopted.

And while the extra presidential attention is nice, it does concern her.

"If our dogs are noticed for being wonderful dogs, that's a good thing, but to give them new to families that don't understand them is not a good thing."

Her advice for the president and first lady: "You really need to socialize them. You really need to crate train them. You need to do all the work that you would do with a child."

Patrick encouraged President Obama to act as a benevolent dictator leading his new four-legged family member. No bipartisan efforts here, just positive reinforcement and a treat should do the trick.

News Channel 8 reporter Jackie Barron can be contacted at (813) 221-5708.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT