It's official, Bo is the name of the first family's puppy who has finally arrived at the White house. The breed as expected is a Portuguese Water Dog, but was not, as had been hoped, adopted from a shelter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no such puppy was abandoned or given up to a shelter. Instead the Obamas accepted the gift of the puppy from friend and dog lover Sen. Edward Kennedy (top political pedigree!) who owns Bo's mother. The story of Bo's arrival, though eagerly anticipated since Obama's campaign promise to his two daughters, was supposed to be a scoop story for the Washington Post. Needless to say the news leaked out on the internet before anyone had time to print it! Although Bo is not a shelter or rescue dog, the White House will in fact be his second home. He had belonged to another family but didn't get along with their other dogs, according to a story in the Chicago SunTimes by Lynn Sweet.  Sen. Ted Kennedy heard about the difficulty with the 6 month old pup, and as he wanted to give the Obama girls, Malia and Sasha a present, the timing was perfect.  BO OBama has already charmed the world's press whith his cute white paws and fluffy hypoallergenic coat, he does not seem camera shy, and has taken to the White House lawn with gusto... he was carefully vetted with a trial day in March before being welcomed as the First Dog. His place at the heart of the Obama family seems assured and Bo has already made a good start in the job by taking over the official White House Blog page with a picture of him running down a White House corridor alongside the President! The conclusion of a not so shaggy dog story is a happy one for Bo and his new family, as for the shelters, Obama has said he will make a donation, let's hope it is large and loud, to keep them in the news...this would surely be The First Dog's first policy!

Just as I was passing on news of the increasing problem of pet obesity and the serious health implications for out pets, it appears help is at hand...after all, if dogs circuit train for shows, play ball in the park, why shouldn't there be a gym for pets who prefer an indoor workout? well check out this article in the SUN newspaper today, for it appears that Richard Branson has yet again flown to the rescue with his Virgin Active health clubs (Pet Active Clubs are paw print away)...have a giggle with this one, you never know one could be opening near you!  Classes on offer will include "Pooch Paunch Buster, Puuuroebics, Wag Attack, Canine Crunch and Pawlates."

Happy April 1st!

When many International household brands  are at risk of succumbing to the recession, and some have even gone on the endangered species list, they could be forgiven for putting their own rescue plans ahead of any charitable giving! Well clearly for the survivors it is time to give back some of the benefits they have received from using an animal as their brand logo and defend the live endangered species!   An International campaign titled "Save Your Logo" backed by the World Bank, the World environment Fund (WEF) and the International Union for the Conservation of nature (IUCN) has been launched in Paris as reported by the (AFP). French brands using animal logos such as Lacoste and its crocodile are being asked to help save endangered species: "Companies that have profited from the positive image of these animals now have a chance to show their recognition," said France's Environment Fund Minister Jean-Louis Borloo at the launch of the campaign in Paris. Lacoste has already signed up but hundreds of other companies could follow - Jaguar, Puma, Peugeot and its Lion, Esso and its tiger in the tank.

Under the scheme, companies can donate up to 1.5 million euros over three years to a Save Your Logo fund held by the World Bank which will add up to 33 percent of the donations received. Donors would benefit from a tax cut of up to 60 percent of the donation, but limited to 0,5 percent of turnover. According to the IUCN, at least one bird out of eight, 25 percent of mammals and one out of every three amphibian are in danger of extinction.

Come in Ralph Lauren? Any suggestions from you? Paws Connect could pass them on and join the campaign!

Nine out of 10 pet owners are unconcerned about their animal's size according to a BBC news story. You might think that with the British love of pets and the outdoors despite a lot of miserable weather, obesity in pets would not be a problem. Well not only is it a 'growing' issue in the UK and the US, but the real problem could really be with the pet parent population according to the survey.

"Some 62% of dog-owners and 72% of cat owners believed they could do little or nothing about their pets' weight. A report by the People's Dispensary for Sick animals in 2008 claimed one in three UK dogs was overweight." However when a survey was conducted on behalf of the Pet Food Manufacturer's Association (PFMA) in more than 2,100 UK households, eight out of 10 owners believed their pet was the correct weight. But when shown pictures of animals of varying weights, just 33% of dog owners and 23% of cat owners said their animal resembled the "normal weight image". PFMA chief executive Michael Bellingham said "perceptions of pets' correct size were seriously out of kilter with reality. Pet obesity has a serious, and sometimes fatal impact on the health and welfare of our pets. The figures are alarming and the  problem , because they are unable to recognise a fat pet in the first place."  Well love is blind, and of course many people may choose to ignore the problem, starting out with good intentions to look after and sometimes spoil their pet, so that food or treats = love, when in reality a good walk would be a much healthier way of loving and caring for your pet.  Whatever the case it is a good idea to seek a vet's advice on your pet's weight once in a while just to keep on track and avoid having to resort to diets...never a happy experience for pet or owner!

Is this YouTubevideo proof that a cat will follow a mouse no matter what, even an electronic one that bears no resemblance to the live version?!  Well this ginger cat clearly thinks the Apple MacBook is worth bothering about and doesn't give up easily! Nevermind the Aristocats, this is clearly the age of the Computercats...Have you any stories to tell?

We are always a bit behind on movie releases here in the UK, but in difficult times, perhaps it is a happy coincidence that we are having a spate of feel-good-factor movies, with dogs involved!!

Even this year's biggest film at the Academy Awards has the magic word in its title "Slum DOG Millionaire"! Then  there has been Hotel For Dogs and Beverley Hills Chihuahua, but the one that has opened today in London that is a must see in this family is Marley And Me. (Toffee will have to wait for the DVD!) The reviews so far have been favourable, check out this BBC one, so it looks like this is set to make the "book to blockbuster" move an ongoing success for author and journalist John Grogan. Perhaps this will inspire some of you to write your own dog story for the world to lap up!

I had to create a new category "Weird"just for this story!  The Fish Pedicure has apparently been popular in Asia for some time and had found its way into trendy spas in the US and UK. Why anyone would pay money to  have their feet nibbled at by flesh eating fish, small in size but numerous enough to 'descale' your feet, is a mystery to me! The unglamorous nature of pedicures, the removal of dead skin, might entice you to swim the extra length to get that smooth baby-skin effect, but sitting with you feet in a bucket full of fish in a feeding frenzy? Check out the link above to read the story in full...fishy but true!

The Obama'sfamily dog is set to take up residence in April according to an interview with Michell Obama in the Associated Press dated 25th February.  If the Obama girls have anything to do with this, it won't be an April fools, even if they are hoping for the new member of the first family to arrive on the 1st!

It looks like the labradoodle has lost out to a rescue Portuguese Water dog, in any case it is still good news for the pet adoption world.  Let's hope for a smooth transition from shelter to top dog in the Obama administration, putting rescue dogs centre stage! When it comes to the oath for the chosen leader of the shelter pack, there shouldn't be any  trouble with remembering the word sequence: a few well timed Woofs should do it!

 Michelle Obama is concerned about the choice of names being floated around amongst the family, but at least the necessary background checks and character vetting will have been done by a reliable shelter, so this is one nomination that should sail into the oval office in no time.

 For anyone with first hand experience of the Portuguese Water dog breed, we would love to have your comments and tips just in case the Obamas decide to check in with Paws Connect!

Training the top rescue dog, should make for some light relief for Obama, on whose shoulders the "rescue" of the U.S economy now lies.

Click on the above link for the whole interview with Michelle Obama

Most dog lovers know that human treats can be dangerous for dogs or cats, I am always reminding the kids that sharing chocolate with our Labrador Toffee is not allowed (despite the good "sharing" instinct otherwise to be encouraged!) as chocolate is toxic to dogs. Jon Bowen from the Royal Veterinary College writing for The Times, explains that "The higher quality, darker chocolate contains more cocoa solids and therefore also contains more of the toxic stimulant called theobromine, which makes dogs ill." As a dark chocolate lover I find it very easy not to share my special Austrian supply with Toffee, however it is useful to know that certain foods that are healthy for humans can be dangerous to pets. This is where the sour grapes comes in!

Bowen says in the Times article that "grapes and raisins are potentially poisonous to dogs. The cause is thought to be a poison, called ochratoxin, that is produced by moulds growing on the skin of the fruit. Grape poisoning can cause fatal kidney failure in dogs, but because not all grapes have the mould on them there are only a few cases of poisoning each year. Over-ripe mouldy grapes are likely to contain more of the toxin, but to give any kind of grapes or raisins to your dog is like playing Russian roulette. Other problem foods include onions and garlic, which contain anaemia-inducing thiosulphates, and plants from the brassica family (cabbage, Brussels sprouts etc.)

I suspect a few Brussel sprouts made their way under the table over the festive season, but at least I now have a good reason to encourage the kids to keep them on their plates, even if they remain untouched!!

Calling all retired show dogs! Don't let age keep you away from what you love...Stump, the 10 year old Sussex Spaniel wins America's top  canine competition, the Westminster "Best In Show" category! The oldest ever, clearly a true star!

Ageism is out, Dog years are in! And yes perhaps you can teach an old dog a new trick, click on stump to follow this happy story and the Associated Press article will also give you an opinion update on the Obama Whitehouse dog search!