Something interesting about Portuguese water dogs ...

[ColbertWatcher]

...From the Los Angeles Times
Portuguese water dogs play key role in genetics research
The Obama's puppy comes from the most studied breed in the world. The clues into what determines size and disease susceptibility help researchers looking into human disease.
By Trine Tsouderos
April 14, 2009

The Obamas may have accepted Bo the Portuguese water dog as First Puppy because of the breed's hypoallergenic coat, but the dogs are also the most genetically studied breed in the world.

Thanks to their remarkable history, the dogs have been the source of key insights into the function of certain canine genes, including determining a dog's size and whether it is susceptible to a devastating disease. Those insights also have offered clues to researchers looking into human diseases.

"Dogs have many of the same diseases that humans have. There is great hope these will translate to humans," said Kevin Chase, senior researcher at the Georgie Project at the University of Utah, which studies Portuguese water dog genetics. (Georgie was a water dog belonging to the project's founder.)

A series of lucky breaks has made the breed ideal for genetic research. First, all American Kennel Club-registered water dogs came from a tiny founding group of about 30 animals starting in the 1930s. That means the amount of genetic variation from animal to animal is small compared with breeds that have many founders.

In addition, the breed standard for water dogs allows for a lot of physical variation. Registered Portuguese water dogs can be big or small. They can have curly hair or wavy. They can be black. They can have bits of white hair, as Bo does.

(more at the link)

--Los Angeles Times

More links:
* Portuguese Water Dog Club of America
* American Kennel Club
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Water_Dog">Wikip*dia
* Portuguese Water Dog Foundation