Labradoodle Or Portugese Water Dog?

That’s what it boils down to for the first dog choice.  Daughter Malia is allergic to dogs, so they need one that’s allergy-proof.

The Portuguese water dog, which doesn’t shed, is among the breeds the American Kennel Club recommends for those with allergies. A seafaring breed that has been known for centuries along the Portuguese coast, “it was prized by fishermen for a spirited, yet obedient nature, and a robust, medium build that allowed for a full day’s work in and out of the water,” the Kennel Club writes on its Web site.

The Labradoodle is obviously a Labrador-Poodle mix.

Originally the brainchild of an Australian breeder who needed a service dog for a visually-impaired woman whose husband had dog allergies, it is now bred around the world. Its temperament is “clever, sociable, comical, joyful, energetic when free and soft and quiet when handled,” according to the Web site of the Australian Labradoodle Association of America.

The AKC isn’t so sure about that choice.

“‘Designer dogs,’ often mixed with poodles, are not recommended for allergy suffers due to their unpredictable coat,” the Kennel Association wrote in a recent news release posted on its Web site when the Obama dog search became known. “There is no way to guarantee a litter will produce puppies with equal Poodle coats, making the high prices unjustifiable and the claims of these dogs being ideal misleading at best.

Whichever the choice is, let’s hope it’s a shelter dog rather than one from a breeder.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.