The latest puppy to become a First Dog, a Portuguese Water Dog, colloquially known as a Portie, is a water spaniel breed of gun dog. From Wikipedia:

Portuguese Water Dogs once existed all along Portugal’s coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen’s nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the cold Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod to bring home.

The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed; only 15 entrants for Portuguese Water Dogs were made to England’s Crufts competition in 2002. Though some breeders claim they are a hypoallergenic dog breed, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. However, their non-shedding qualities have made them more popular in recent years.

Read Bo’s personal story in The First Puppy’s Journey to the White House.

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