Hypoallergenic What?

 Saturday night, I attended a barbecue complete with dogs and kids.   The three dogs wandered through the place looking for people to play with them while escaping some of the toddlers who love, love, love, dogs.

During a conversation, one of the dogs came up. The dog looked kind of like a small walking beat down brown carpet and the lady commented that it was a hypoallergenic dog.

I've never heard of such as thing but she said it had less hair and dander so people with allergies are less likely to have problems while owning a pet.  The key is that they shed fewer hairs and less dander hits the air.  This means there are less allergens in the air, on furniture, on people, and less chance of allergenic reactions.  This does not mean, the dogs are 100% hypoallergenic but it does mean more people are able to own dogs who may not otherwise do it.

The best dogs to own if you have allergies include Tibetan Terriers who have long hair, shed very little and need lots of grooming, Maltese Terriers who are small fluffy clouds and are extremely gentle, Shih-Tzu who are covered with hair who are gentle and extremely loyal.  There is also the Brussels Griffon with shorter hair, loyal, and a great watchdog, or the Portuguese Water Dog just like the one owned by Obama is an energetic medium sized dog who can spend hours either on land or in the water.

Then there are poodles of any size who are classified as hypoallergenic and are classified as odor free.    It is recommended the poodles always be clipped but personality wise, they are intelligent, trainable, and funny or the West Highland White Terrier which is a small cute loving dog who sheds some but is still considered hypoallergenic.  Check out the Bichon Frise, a small lovable lap dog who is easy to train and fun, or any one of 13 other breeds including Afghans Hound or the Italian Greyhound.

If you are a cat person, don't worry because there are several cats who are classified as hypoallergenic.  There is a protein in the cat's saliva that is what most people react to.  These cats produce less of this protein and makes it better for people who have allergies.  Check out the Oriental Shorthair which sheds way less hair than most so if hair is the problem, this would be a good choice. There is also the Cornish Rex which has no outer hair, only a down layer, or maybe get a Sphynx, a totally hairless cat so there is no hair to trap the saliva.

You could go with a Russian Blue which has short hair but a beautiful blueish coat, or perhaps look at the Bengal whose hair traps very little saliva, or maybe a Balinese whose saliva produces less of the protein in its saliva.  If you prefer long haired cats, look at the Siberian cat, or the Laperm shed much less than other breeds due to its curly hair, or the Javanese cat who only has the top layer of hair rather than the full three layers.   Finally, check out the Devon Rex who is related to the Cornish Rex but has both less and shorter hair than its relative.

So if you have allergies and love dogs or cats, you might still be able to have a pet if you check out one of these breeds.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.