Animals Matter


What do the Obama’s mean when they say they want a “hypoallergenic” dog?


When the Obama family announced their desire to get a dog, they got more advice then they bargained for. If they thought animal people would sit back and wait to see what type of dog they would get, they were wrong. Animal people are an opinionated bunch. More people have weighed in on what kind of dog the Obama’s should get than who should be the next Secretary of State.

As animal shelters and breeders cross their fingers and hope the Obama family will turn to them for the next Presidential pet, the Obama girls are quietly searching the Internet to find a hypoallergenic dog, since Malia is allergic to them.

But this begs the question, what is a hypoallergenic dog?

The quick answer is a breed of dog that you don’t have an allergic reaction to when near. But ironically that can be a different dog for everyone. That’s because every dog has a different protein make-up, depending on the breed. These proteins are excreted through dander and salvia onto the pet’s coat, which is transferred during petting or snuggling and causes the allergy sufferer much grief. It’s not the fur that causes the problem, it’s the proteins released onto the fur and through the salvia that cause a person to react.

There can be enough genetic differences between dog breeds so that a person sensitive to one breed may not be sensitive to another. An acquaintance of mine, who is allergic to dogs in general, reacts more to Labrador retrievers than terriers. He wanted a dog very badly, so he got a terrier. He didn’t know it at the time, but people who are allergic to dogs may only be allergic to dogs with fur, not hair. Labrador Retrievers have fur. Terriers and poodles have hair.

There’s actually no such thing as a completely hypo-allergenic pet, but people with allergies tend to do better with dogs that have hair than dogs with fur. That’s because fur sheds; hair not so much. That’s why breeds, like poodles, and designer dogs, like Labradoodles and Goldendoodles, are touted as hypo-allergenic: they shed much less because they have hair, not fur.

Ironically though, dogs with hair, like poodles and some terriers, are groomed and bathed more than other dogs, so the proteins are cleaned off their coats more often, which reduces allergic reactions. Is this all starting to make sense now?

Regardless of what dog the Obama family ends up with — (and I mean that — no one should chastise them for their choice), they are a shining example of what every family should consider before adopting a pet. First, they opted not to get a dog until after the election, and second, they are actually researching breeds to determine which one best fits their family’s breeds.

They are doing it the right way. And hopefully, the fall out will be that other people will model their behavior and take their time in selecting the right pet too.

That’s some of the change animal people are looking for.

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