When Skippy came to our house, he
was just about the cutest 7 week old puppy you’ve ever seen. But such
trouble! He chewed everything in sight and was constantly moving. He
thought he was in charge of everything that happened in his new home.
Well, since then, he has had many good trainers and has become an
angel. He’s gentle, patient and just loves attention.
Skippy is a Portuguese water dog.
This breed helped fishermen in Portugal with their nets. They pulled
the nets in and out, caught escaping fish and retrieved items that fell
overboard. They also were good company for the fishermen during long
trips at sea. Portuguese water dogs were breed to be spirited,
intelligent and faithful. They are a working breed with the stamina to
do a full day’s work.
True to his breed, Skippy loves
swimming and loves to be wet. He’s also a very strong runner and loves
to be chased. He has many ways to entice other dogs to chase him. He
usually runs an hour a day.
Skippy has beautiful shiny black
fur that and looks and feels like velvet. Portuguese water dogs have no
undercoat, so they do not shed and are hypoallergenic. Skippy gets a
fairly short haircut about every 7 weeks, as he tends to get quite
warm. Only the end of his tail is unclipped and the fur there (which is
called a “flag”) is about 5 inches long.
Skippy thinks that volunteering as
a therapy dog is a real good way to spend time with his “mom” (me), get
a lot of attention and make a bunch of people very happy. We really
enjoy our visits with Caring Canines.
