Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Top white house dog breeds for Obama

Unfortunately the shichon - the cutest teddy bear dog breed of the mix breeds will not appear in the results of the American Kennel Club poll to help recommend the next white house dog.

In August, more than 42,000 Americans cast their vote in the AKC®'s poll to determine the right breed of dog for the Obamas at www.presidentialpup.com. The Poodle was chosen from a list of five hypoallergenic breeds, each with distinct characteristics that made them uniquely suited for Obama's daughter who suffers from allergies.


The top white house dogs in question were:

- bichone frise
- The Chinese Crested
- The Miniature Schnauzer
- The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
- The poodle

Of course we feel deeply disapointed that no mixed breed dogs made it on the list so a shichon is a write in for us. All of the dogs on the list are hyperalergenic and so is our little teddy bear shichon.

Of course it would be fitting that Obama pick a mutt - after his own admission.

Monday, November 10, 2008

First Dog exclusive: Will a shi-tzu beat out the shichon?

I was disappointed to see that a shichon was not included in this Vote for first dog - the white house dog Chicago Tribune poll.

Barack Obama promised his daughters they could get a puppy if he ran for President. What kind of dog should the Obama family bring to the White House?


Currently the "shelter dog" is running in first place with Goldendoodle in second place with 2166 votes and a shi-tzu in third place.

However to a keen eye an interesting trend emerges. the Shi-tzu is in third place with 1587 votes and a Bichon Frise is in fifth place. However if you combined the two dogs, which is what a shichon is - a Bichon Frise and a Shit-tzu - you get a front runner.

There you have it... the Shichon deserves the presidential obama family first dog spot in the administration - the white house dog.


Shelter dog (11052 responses)

53.8%

Chihuahua (252 responses)

1.2%

Bichon frise (1193 responses)

5.8%

Yorkie (1221 responses)

5.9%

Chinese Crested (97 responses)

0.5%

Schnauzer (985 responses)

4.8%

Basset hound (622 responses)

3.0%

Goldendoodle (2166 responses)

10.5%

Shih Tzu (1587 responses)

7.7%

Obama family dog - Why not choose a shichon

I wanted to continue on my motorcycle transport theme but I can't ignore what everyone is searching for - who will be the First Family - the Obama family dog, aka the White House dog. Of course I strongly recommend the Shichon breed as the "American First dog" or would it be the "US Presidential Family first dog". Shichons cute and hypoallergenic AND they are kind of a mutt... like Obama!! (its a joke people, in case you haven't heard, he referred to himself in that way as a joke).

Of course everyone is speculating on the first dog, this story in the Chicago Tribune about Barack Obama: Obama promises daughters puppy in the white house.

Sasha and Malia Obama, if you are out there - Shichons are the one for you. Shichon is a natural first dog candidate. Of course, this being a democratic family I am not going to run negative ad campaigns against the other dogs. I'll let the Shichon record stand on its own... just check out the puppy pictures.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Cerberus - three headed monster

I couldn't resist passing on this popular image I ran across on digg today:



Can anyone help identify the breed of these cute pups?

Monday, September 29, 2008

Zuchon vs. Shichon

Both names refer to the same mixed breed, a cross between a Shi-tzu and a Bichon Feese. The question is, which one is becoming more accepted in the main stream. As far as I can tell the names are interchangable, wiki defines both shichon and zuchon as:

a breed of dog, a cross between a Bichon and a Shih Tzu


American Kennel Club
does not recognize this hybrid mix, however the American Canine Hybrid Club does, and calls it a Zuchon.

We have written about the popularity of the terms Zuchon and Shichon this January based on tecnocrati search and at the time the term Zuchon was winning. Looking at this again it seems to be tied.



Finally, checking out google trends the evidence stacks up agains Zuchon in favor of Shichon.



So, next time you are walking your adorable little teddy bear puppy and someon asks what is it... what's it gonna be - Zuchon os Shichon?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Dog Transportation

My primary mode of transportation during the summer is my motorcycle. When our little zuchon was a puppy he rode in my backpack. When he started getting bigger (they dont get much bigger than shi tzus) he was too big for the backpack and he did pretty well if I put him on the tank of the motorcycle.

Last summer he got used to riding on the tank of the motorcycle. He stands, or sits, there all by himself. he can balance himself on turns and during stops. The wind doesnt bother him too much, in fact I think he loves to ride on the motorcycle. He is a true motorcycle loving dog.

For safety, when we ride I put him in a harness, i snap a leach on to the harness and tie it around my waist so that in case that he decides to jump he cant go far. He has never slipped off, slipped, or attempted to jump.

However this summer we had a concern about him getting hurt if I crash on the bike. The problem is that if I crash - and i always wear a helmet - he can crack his little doggie skull.

He loves to ride and so do I. Should I make tihs decision for him? Is he really that much worse off than in a car where he'll become a flying zuchon projectile anyway in case of an accident?

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Finally, a shamless plug for a site of a friend of mine who blogs about cell phones, wireless news, etc.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Funny vidoe from the onion - the dog that wouldn't stop barking

Here is a humorous video of a mock report about a dog that wouldn't stop barking. Enjoy.



Tiny Dog Has Been Barking Nonstop For 6 Years