A Bischon, a 'Daisy Dog' breed.

flickr photo courtesy of sketchr

When President Obama and his family made it known that they were in the process of getting a dog, it made big news not only because welcoming a dog is a big deal — but because the Obama's daughter Malia, had allergies, and that was just one aspect of the decision that they had to keep in mind.

That opened up the dialogue for a lot of people, I think, when it comes to getting a pet. With allergies and asthma on the rise, it seems, it's a roadblock for some. For others, it's simply a small hurdle.

When my partner Chris and I first met, that was one of the major considerations in our relationship. After all, how do you spend time with someone and get to know them if you can't even step foot in her house?

The asthmatic symptoms and allergies that Chris had as a child still lingered at times, and especially with cats. My middle-aged cat, Silver was, ironically enough, the make-or-break factor in our forging ahead with a relationship.

Cats have always been associated with being a main culprit behind the itching and wheezing, and that problem is a common reason behind cats being relinquished to shelters. I wasn't about to give up my cat, though. Not even for love.

Fortunately, employing good housekeeping habits proved helpful and, as long as my beloved feline wasn't sitting on top of Chris, he was symptom-free. After several years, the latter has proven to not pose a problem at all. Best of buddies.

The current trend

With so many more people these days wanting to share life with a furry pet, there is a trend of breeders to tout the benefits of hypoallergenic pets. And, why not? There is certainly a market out there. Designer dogs, like Labradoodles and daisy dogs, have been marketed to consumers as being shed-and-allergy free.

The facts

The sad news is — as I have long suspected — hypoallergenic dogs just don't really exist. In fact, a study in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy backs that up.

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit set out to analyze dust samples from 173 households with canines, representing 60 breeds. These included 11 that are considered hypoallergenic, including Portuguese water dogs, poodles and schnauzers. What they found was interesting: homes with allegedly hypoallergenic canines contained just as much of the prime dog allergen, known as Can f 1, as those with the other breeds.

In both dogs and cats, the allergen attaches to dried skin flakes comprised of dried saliva and skin, called dander, and make its way into the air and your home.

“Any way we looked at it, there just wasn’t a difference,” says senior author and epidemiologist Christine Cole Johnson.

“There is simply no environmental evidence that any particular dog breed produces more or less allergen in the home than another one.”

Good housekeeping habits are key in keeping allergens at bay, like regular vacumming and washing linens weekly (I wash our throw blankets frequently, as well). Bathing pets on a regular basis has been thought to reduce the problem of allergies, but to do that, you would need to bathe a pet multiple times per week, and that's just not practical or smart to do on many levels.

So, do specific breeds have more Can f 1 than another? No. All dogs are created equal, in that respect. Trying to figure out if a pet will trigger an allergy in a human is simply trial and error — especially in children, says Robert Wood, director of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

“You need to visit that dog and see what happens, see how you or your child reacts. That’s really what it comes down to, instead of picking a certain breed. Choose a breed you like for your family, then take the animal home for a while and see if it’s going to work out.”

All of this applies to cats as well.

More food for thought

Another part of the equation I have wondered about is how the age of pets affects the levels of Can f 1 in their systems. In my own experience, I have spent years caring for certain dogs and cats, and, at some point, I can tell a marked difference in any allergic symptoms to their dander — which can include itching, sneezing and sometimes, hives.

To read the study by Henry Ford Hospital, click here.

Lorrie Shaw is lead pets blogger for AnnArbor.com. Connect with her on Google+ or e-mail her directly.