The trend towards puppy acupuncture is not just for the rich and famous. An estimated 150,000 veterinarians and 700,000 paraveterinary assistants in the United States are trained in this treatment. Both the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture website and the American Holistic Veterinarian Medical Association website have search engines to assist you in finding a veterinary acupuncturist in your area.

“You know, cats are very indifferent. But no. No territorial battles or anything. The dog is even eating some of Punkin’s food, and Punkin doesn’t care. No, I’m not baby-sitting the dog. I wouldn’t mind if I baby-sat the dog. It’s a cute little thing.”

Mr. Limbaugh’s love for his cat Punkin inspired him to record this anti-dogfighting public service announcement for the Humane Society of the United States:

News reports allege that the puppy was named Bo by First Children Sasha and Malia because their cousin has a cat named Bo and Michelle Obama’s father was nicknamed Diddley, as in Bo Diddley.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the two letters of the dog’s name are also the initials of the First Children’s father, President Barack Obama. (For all of you Blue State voters, those initials are “B.O.”)

Note to the White House Staff: Be careful that the monogrammed towels provided for the Official Guests are not the same ones used for the Dog.

See Also:
The Obama’s Dog Has Arrived – at Last! [People; April 12, 2009]
First Family Closing in on Portuguese Water Dog [CritterBlog; March 1, 2009]

Ivan died from the highly contagious parvovirus last week. Sadie also has the disease, but her condition is currently stable and according to a spokeswoman for Ms. Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, “she’s holding her own for now.”

See Also:
One of Oprah Winfrey’s puppies succumbs to virus [Chicago Tribune; March 18, 2009]
Oprah Gains a Pound Puppy [CritterBlog; March 4, 2009]

The owner of the Pazzazz Chows kennel, Karen Tracy, breeds champion dogs. Ghengin Khan was the grandson of Martha Stewarts Chow Chow Paw Paw. He passed away last April at age 13. (See Bye Bye Paw Paw; Critterblog, April 17, 2008.)

Ms. Stewart wrote about the tragedy in her blog, and posted a photographic tribute to her little champion.

See Also:
Oprah Winfrey adopts cocker spaniel [Chicago Tribune; March 3, 2009]

There are three Portuguese Water Dogs on the adoption list, and it’s a good bet that not one of them is a purebred that would meet the Obamas’ need for a dog acceptable to a child with allergies. It’s also a good bet that if and when a purebred Portuguese Water Dog becomes available for “adoption,” there is already a waiting list of people experienced with the breed.

Why rescue something that does not need to be rescued? You are only causing deprivation for someone else.

Here’s an idea for the Obamas: BUY a pedigreed Portuguese Water Dog. Spend a couple of thousand dollars and stimulate the economy….

• “Bear” is described as a Portuguese Water Dog/Labrador Retriever mix. He was found running down a road in Northern Georgia and is believed to be about four or five years old.
• “Gatsby” is an adult male, described as looking like a sheepdog, in Pembroke, Georgia.
• A dog named “Obama” is an adult of unknown gender, in Greenville, South Carolina.

It is a commendable gesture on the part of the Obamas to express an interest in adopting a rescue dog. However, the Portuguese Water Dog is not a breed that is really in need of rescue. The Portuguese Water Dog Club of America (PWDCA) makes an effort to monitor the purebred dogs that appear in shelters and reunite them with their breeders. If a dog owner is having problems, the PWDCA will re-home an animal when an owner is unwilling or unable to work on the underlying training issues. A problem dog would probably not be the best fit for a busy President with an overreaching agenda.

Since one of the Obama children has allergies, who could fault the family for going to a reputable breeder and purchasing a puppy that meets their particular requirements?

It turns out that Captain Sullenberger has had a hand in other rescues too. People Magazine discovered that the Captain and his wife have been providing foster homes for dozens of cats and kittens through Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation. They also raise puppies for Guidedogs for the Blind.

“Sully’s the cat person. I’m the dog person,” said Captain Sullenberger’s wife Lorrie. Maybe that’s why Sully is so good at landing on his feet!

Chen: What do you tell them at home?

Blagojevich: Well, for me to resign would be for me to basically say to them that they shouldn’t feel that their dad isn’t an honest man and I don’t want to be in a position where they should be ashamed of their father. So I’ll fight to the very end. In terms of what we tell our kids, it’s a very difficult time for our family and our little girls. My wife and I, we got them a little puppy during the Christmas holiday, something I was resisting for the last couple years. But when all this happened, it was a therapeutic thing for our girls. And they love their little puppy, and I think she’s helping them through this.

No word on what kind of puppy the Governor got for his girls. It is not known whether impeached President Bill Clinton counseled Governor Blago to get a puppy. President Clinton acquired Buddy, a Chocolate Lab, just before the scandal broke detailing his inappropriate Oval Office conduct with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

See Also:
CBS ‘Early Show’ Interviews Blagojevich, No Democratic Mention ]]> http://art2u.com/critterblog/?feed=rss2&p=1393 0