The highly intelligent Portuguese water dog, such as the one on the left, typically weighs 40 to 60 pounds and requires a lot of exercise. The American Kennel Club recognized the Portuguese water dog as one of its 150 breeds in 1983 and first let it compete in the ring in 1984. Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ This Week that the family has narrowed the choice to either a Portuguese water hound or labradoodle. It dates back to the 1200s and worked on boats with Portuguese fishermen, according to the website of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. Both dogs are non-shedders and do not cause as much reaction in allergy sufferers as other dogs, says Stu Freeman, president of the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. Mary Harkings, who oversees a Portuguese water dog rescue group, says the breed is “funny and very family-oriented” but adds that the dogs crave exercise.

WINNIPEG — If Blackie has any shot at the White House, he’ll need to kick the shoe-gnawing habit. But the Winnipeg Humane Society, which rescued their mother from a fetid Manitoba puppy mill last month, is nominating them for the vaunted White House post of first pooch. The society hatched the plan soon after rescuing 55 dogs in a December bust of a local puppy mill. Within days, one of the seized dogs, a black-and-white Labradoodle named Lily, gave birth to seven black and four blond pups. Skeptics might suggest that placing a foreign dog in the White House is tantamount to treason. McDonald acknowledges that even once the dogs are trained, their odds of ever chasing balls on the White House lawn are long.

Local superintendents meet today after state superintendent Randy Dorn announces proposed changes to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning or WASL test. Tax preparers in the Tri-Cities are seeing a crowd of tax payers not wasting any time in getting a quick tax return. On Tuesday, Prosser city council members voted 6-1 in favor of an increase of up to $20 for a car tab. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife recently approved some new policies to stabilize salmon fishing on the Columbia River.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Labrador retriever’s streak is still alive — it is the people’s choice among purebred pooches for the 18th straight year, according to the American Kennel Club, which keeps its nose to the ground on such matters. The rest of the top 10 canines are German shepherd, golden retriever, beagle, boxer, dachshund, bulldog, poodle and shih tzu. The news comes as the nation’s new first family continues to mull its choice of a dog for the White House. In a true spirit of political compromise, President Barack Obama has said his family was considering a Labradoodle, a cross between a Lab and a poodle, or a Portuguese water dog. The American Kennel Club said the hypoallergenic Portuguese water dog has increased 44 percent in popularity in the past decade and is now No. Like the bulldog, the boxer is making a comeback — now second choice in Baltimore; Cincinnati; Des Moines, Iowa; Louisville, Ky.