It looks like it was a good choice for the president too, as the Portuguese Water Dog has just been listed as one of the prized assets in the Obamas’ fortunes. Bo, the dog the US media fell in love with, has been listed as being worth $1,600 in the presidents financial disclosure forms. The value of Bo ads to other windfalls the US president has come by since he took office.

His windfalls include the $1.4 million he won for his Nobel Prize, all of which he gave to charity however. Obama also netted between $2 million and $10 million in royalties for two books that he has penned.

Obama also made money from selling securities that he inherited from his grandmother, who died shortly before he was elected as president. The president also earns $400,000 per annum from his day job, running the United States of America.

Bo was given to the Obamas as a gift by the late Edward Kennedy.

1 – Obama’s dog Bo – Portuguese water dog
Top of the list at the moment, according to the Telegraph, is Obama’s dog Bo. We reported every step of Bo’s journey from when Bo was returned to his breeder to his welcoming as First Dog Bo. Bo’s addition to the Obama family has rocketed the Portuguese water dog breed to instant fame worldwide.

2 – Tinkerbell Hilton – Chihuahua
Hot on the heels of Bo, Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua is still seen as the first to set the trend for the handbag dog generation. Sales of Chihuahua puppies went through the roof and Chihuahua dog breeders and owners of stud dogs everywhere have been happy ever since. Unfortunately, not all of them get to live in the $325,000 dog kennel that Tinkerbell shares with her fellow dogs at Paris Hilton’s abode in Beverley Hills.

3 – The Queen’s Corgis
The royal dog breed, the Corgi, has been seen accompanying the Queen since the early age of 18 years old when her parents bought the young Princess a corgi bitch called Susan. The Queen hit the headlines earlier this year when it was announced the Queen would give up her Corgi breeding when two of her favourite dogs died from cancer earlier this year.

4 – Bit Bit – Britney Spears Chihuahua
Also feeding the frenzy of wannabe stars running to buy Chihuahua puppies, Bit Bit is the lucky Chihuahua owned by Britney Spears who has been seen feeding her handbag dog from her own plate in top restaurant. Bit Bit may not be the world’s richest dog, but she shot to fame when she accompanied Britney to an MTV event whilst wearing a rather expensive diamond collar.

5 – The dogs of the Osbourne family
Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne are known to be great dog lovers and have a number of dogs living in their mansion. The dogs featured in the reality TV show The Osbournes, although not always in a nice way. Earlier this year, one of the Osbournes beloved dogs Little Bit, a Pomeranian was killed by a coyote whilst they watched the Michael Jackson memorial.

6 – Buster – Cheryl Cole’s Chihuahua
You can see how celebrities have really paved the way for the trend of handbag dogs, as yet another celeb’s Chihuahua hits the Top 7 World’s Most Famous Dog, this time it is Buster, Cheryl Cole’s companion. The Girls Aloud group have supported Dogs Trust events and are renowned for their love of dogs and were reported to want a Girls Aloud dog crèche on their tour. Buster apparently made Girls Aloud over an hour late for a gig once as he wouldn’t let Cheryl leave the house – talk about separation anxiety! We’d like to see Cheryl Cole tell Simon Cowell that she’ll be late for an X-Factor show because of her dog..

7 – Jack – Mariah Carey’s Jack Russell
Mariah Carey has certainly been in and out of the spotlight and made plenty of comebacks, but the limelight has still managed to catch her dog, the Jack Russell appropriately named.. Jack. This pampered pooch has made appearances in more than a couple of her music videos and even in her movie, Glitter, which sadly for Jack didn’t do too well.

So there you have it – the Top 7 World’s Most Famous Dogs. Of course, the list doesn’t end there. We are a nation, and it would seem a world of dog lovers, and when our beloved celebrities get a dog, millions rush out to get one of the same breed too.

Lest we forget, other famous dogs include Jennifer Aniston’s German shepherd Dolly and Welsh Corgi-terrier Norman, who accompany her to film sets on a regular basis, Desperate Housewives model Eva Longoria-Parker’s Maltese Jinxy, who was actually crowned the most well groomed pet by weekly magazine In Touch and Elton John’s Cocker spaniel Arthur, who was best man – or dog – at the civil partnership of John and David Furnish.

We could go on, but we’d be here all day and night, and our dogs need feeding.

The Portuguese Water Dog is a fun loving dog and unsurprisingly from his name, a real water lover. They are generally great with families and children and ideal for active people who want an affectionate yet adventurous companion. This is certainly not a dog for couch potatoes.

This dog breed is very intelligent and responsive, so an owner needs to be calm and show consistent authority.

Typical Portuguese Water Dog
Height: 20 – 23 inches for males; 17 – 21 inches for females
Weight: 40 – 60 lbs for males (18 – 27 kg); 35 – 50 lbs for females (16 – 23 kg)
Average Litter Size: Around 5 – 7 puppies
Life Expectancy: 10 – 14 years; they mature well and generally remain active into their senior years
Good with Children: Yes if properly trained and kept active (see below)
Kennel Club Classification: Gundog Group

Colour of a Portuguese Water Dog:
The colour of a Portuguese Water Dog is generally black with a white chest, and varying shades of brown are usual. You can also find grey or silver coats; white is the least common in a PWD.

Grooming a Portuguese Water Dog:
The grooming of a Portuguese Water Dog can be quite considerable and they should be clipped every 6-8 weeks or so. The fur grows more slowly than a poodle or shih tzu for example, but as an active and large dog, owners of a Portie need to keep their fur under control. The fur is a single coat and either wavy or curly.

There are two acceptable clips. The one pictured here is known as the lion clip  or lion cut as the fur around the top part of the body is kept clipped and the rear is shaved with the tip of the tail kept long. The more usual clip for a Portuguese Water Dog kept as a pet is the retriever clip where the whole body’s coat is kept around 1 inch long, again with the tail kept full length. If exercised properly, they require regular grooming every other day at least.

As has been much publicised by the Obama’s acquisition of their Portuguese Water Dog Bo, the coat is non-shedding and as it does not shed scales from its skin, it is practically hypo-allergenic so a good choice for active families with allergies who want a medium-sized dog.

Portuguese Water Dog Common Ailments/Health issues:
The Portuguese Water Dog is an active yet hardy breed but like all dog breeds, with poor breeding has experienced some health concerns. As with many breeds, hip dysplasia has been seen in this breed so a line with a history of this should not be bred from.

Like many curly haired breeds, ingrown eyelashes (distichiasis) can cause irritation but these should not be a problem if not ignored.

GM-1 Storage Disease is often mentioned in breed profiles of the Portuguese Water Dog. This is a nerve disease that shows around the age of six months and is fatal. Symptoms would include seizures and lesions in the retina. However, it is important to note that GM-1 Storage Disease is a recessive disorder and thanks to genetic profiling, most carriers of the gene have been identified and the disease is very rare now.

Temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog:
The Portuguese Water Dog as mentioned previously is generally good natured, affectionate, friendly and fun loving. They can get on with other dogs and pets, but as with all dogs, should be introduced to cats gently and as young as possible if they are to live happily together. As they are active, it is important to ensure this need is satisfied.

Training a Portuguese Water Dog:
The Portuguese Water Dog, or ‘Portie’, is certainly intelligent and eager to learn but they can be strong willed and need a consistently authoritative dog owner. Be warned the Portuguese Water Dog is not beyond taking liberties if he thinks he is stronger-willed than his owner.

Exercise for a Portuguese Water Dog:
The Portuguese Water Dog is a working dog and requires daily mental and physical exercise, preferably including the occasional swim and regular retrieving work. They love nothing more than fetching a favourite ball or stick from water. On other days, a long vigorous walk will suffice. The Portuguese Water Dog loves to share activities with his family, both indoors and out, so is ideal for a growing active family or someone who enjoys walking or jogging and can spend plenty of time with their dog.

History of the Portuguese Water Dog:

Like many dog breeds, the origins of the Portuguese Water Dog breed are uncertain although it is generally accepted that the Portuguese Water Dog probably shares some ancestry with the Poodle possibly from central Asian countries initially.

An early well-documented story of the Portuguese Water Dog comes from a monk in the 13th century, around 1297, who tells of seeing a drowning sailor rescued by a dog with

“black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the first rib and with a tail tuft”

If this were true, it seems the lion cut has been around since the earliest days of the breed and this is reportedly where the Portuguese Water Dog was first referred to as a ‘lion dog’.

Once the ancestor of this breed found its way to Portugal, the dog established itself through its love for water. As a strong swimmer, the Portie was able to dive underwater too. Portuguese fishermen used to use the PWD in a number of ways whilst fishing, whether to retrieve overboard tackle, herding fish into nets, as a lifesaver and even working as a courier from boat-to-boat or boat-to-shore. In Portuguese, the dog is known as ‘Cao de Agua’ (pronounced Kown-d’Ahgwa) meaning ‘dog of water’. In those days, the Portuguese Water Dog was highly valued and even received his own little ‘wage’, taken as part of the fishing crew’s catch.

With the advent of technology, the job of the Portuguese Water Dog diminished and by the 1930s the breed became almost extinct. A wealthy Portuguese, Vasco Bensaude, took an interest in the breed and started a breeding program from several fine examples he bought from local fishermen. His most famous stud dog was Leão (1931-1942), whom he bred to so many females that reportedly around half of all Portuguese Water Dogs now could trace their lineage back to this one stud dog.

Useful links:

The Portuguese Water Dog Club of Great Britain

Cabrillo is one such dog, who received an award from the fire department in San Diego after he alerted his owner to a fire, which saved the life of his neighbour. The fire broke out on April 2nd while Cabrillo’s owner was asleep in bed. Cabrillo began to bark when he noticed that their next door neighbour’s house was on fire, waking his owner.

Thanks to Cabrillo, the fire department was able to act in time and extinguish the fire, saving the life of his neighbour.

Cabrillo received a box of dog treats for his actions (which he presumably didn’t eat all at once) and was made an honorary department fire dog.

Being a responsible breeder means a lot more than just not over breeding your bitch and keeping your puppies until they are old enough.  All responsible breeders should ensure that anyone purchasing a puppy signs an agreement stating that they will return the puppy to the breeder if they do not want them later in life.

The Obama family were under a lot of pressure to save a dog from a dog shelter rather than take on a commercially bred dog.  However, as their daughter Malia suffers from allergies, they wanted to make sure they had a pure bred dog that would not shed hair.  The media are labelling ‘Bo the Obama-dog’ a ‘quasi-rescue’ dog because he had been returned to his breeder as unwanted, but this isn’t really the case.  Any responsible breeder should take back one of their own dogs if they are later unwanted and these dogs are relatively easy to rehome because the house training has usually been done already.  Many people want a pure breed but don’t want the hassle of a new puppy and house training responsibilities.

Ted Kennedy reportedly had bought three Portuguese water dogs from the same breeder that bred Bo, Martha Stern from Boyd in Texas.  The owner of the stud dog used for Bo’s litter, Bo’s father Watson, is owned by Craig Rader in Pennsylvania.  Watson is used as a stud dog by breeder Julie Parker and Bo’s mother is called Penny, owned by Martha Stern.

Ms Parker told the Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette:

“He’s got a lot of the qualities that make the breed identifiable — a nice broad head, a lot of bone to him, a beautiful coat.  He brings a lot of things to the table for what you want to see in the next generation.”

To use Watson as a stud dog costs around $1,900 stud fee.  Ted Kennedy’s new Portuguese water dog puppy, Cappy, has the same mother and father as Bo.

Bo’s dog breeder, Stern, is a responsible dog breeder and as a matter of course, requires that everyone sign an agreement saying they will return her dogs to her if they are later unwanted.  For anybody considering breeding their dog, they should only do so if they are certain that there will be good homes for the puppies, are willing to take on the responsibility and look after the puppies until they can go to good homes but more importantly, accept that the dogs should come back into their care if ever they are left without a home and not a dog shelter.

Reporters worldwide turned up to video Bo’s first appearance outside the White House yesterday and today, Bo even has his own blog article on The Telegraph’s website that you can read where he talks about his humiliation outside the White House.

You can also watch a video of Bo here:

Nobody could accuse the President of rushing into purchasing the first dog the family thought of as the topic of who and which breed would be the ‘first dog’ of America has been talked about since late last year and Obama’s family were even offered the Hairless Peruvian from Peru as a gift.

After much debate, and with their choice narrowed by daughter Malia’s allergies, the Obamas have settled upon black and white, six month old Portuguese water dog Bo, who made his first appearance at the White House today.

The appointment of America’s First Dog has already sparked a surge of interest, and not just in America but in canine-mad Britain too.

Kennel Club spokeswomen, Caroline Kisko, said:

“We frequently see the popularity of certain breeds soar once people have seen them being bought by their favourite celebrities.  But dogs are not a fad or a new accessory that can be disposed of at will — they are a lifetime commitment and we advise anybody thinking of buying a dog to make as careful and informed a decision as the Obamas clearly did.”

The Portuguese water dog is an active and lively breed and although it is classed as hypo-allergenic, this doesn’t make it suitable for every family as they do require daily exercise.