The new First Pooch is coming soon

During the last dog days of last summer, perhaps the most important looming decision facing Barack Obama was choosing a dog for his daughters. Back when he ran for the presidency, he ran the one campaign he promised he couldn’t break at all: that when it was all over, no matter the outcome, his daughters could have a dog. And if they did end up on Pennsylvania Avenue, the pup certainly wouldn’t be the first dog or pet in the White House, so he would have a long legacy of presidential pets to live up to.

“Things have changed since the days when George Washington could name his dogs Drunkard, Tipler, and Tipsy. Warren Harding’s Airedale Laddie Boy had a valet and occupied a hand-carved chair at cabinet meetings. Ulysses S Grant told his White House staff that if anything happened to his son’s beloved Newfoundland, they would all be fired.Teddy Roosevelt had, along with a badger, a toad, some snakes, and a pig, a bull terrier named Pete who once tore a French ambassador’s pants.Cousin Franklin’s dog Fala had a press secretary, starred in a movie and was made an honorary soldier in the army.George HW Bush’s springer spaniel Millie wrote a book , which sold more copies than the president’s autobiography. And then, of course, there was Ladies. Harry Truman supposedly once said, “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.” (By Nancy Gibbs/TIME)

It’s hard enough choosing the right dog. But adding the fact that you may be the First Family and need a hypoallergenic breed adds to the difficulty of the process. So the American Kennel Club (AKC), hoping to help ensure the 23rd purebred dog enters the White House, conducted a survey. The public could even vote online, for the AKC poll, for the kind of dog they thought the Obamas should have, and other groups sponsored similar polls. Since his first daughter, Malia, has allergies, the AKC limited the choice on the ballot to five hypoallergenic breeds. He suggests the Bichon Frize with his history as a companion to French nobles, implying the breed’s qualification for the White House. But perhaps it was not the exact image that the Obamas were looking for. He recommended the miniature schnauzer as an excellent watchdog, for a little extra security (though probably not necessary), and the smooth-coated dog with its sweet temperament as an ambassador of goodwill, although it “must be handled firmly and consistently.” ”, which also may not have been the ideal characteristic choice for the Change candidate.

However, the AKC’s preference for purebreds squandered the obvious star opportunity for the Obamapup. Surely a self-proclaimed post-partisan reformer, vowing to ‘walk the aisle,’ would gravitate toward an astonishingly mixed stray dog, a rescued shelter dog, or at least one of the American Canine Hybrid Club’s 500-plus registered hybrids. After all, the hybrid dog or designer dog was bred to give you the best of both breeds: a Labradoodle, a Peke-a-Poo, a Bagle (half basset, half beagle), or a Chiweenie (half Chihuahua, half dachshund). ). A candidate looking for an intimidating pulpit might even like the Bullypit (a mix of bulldog and pitbull), or he might go for a Sharmatian (part Chinese Shar-Pei, part Dalmatian) and get all east and west, black and black. -white thing happening on a single dog.

There was even a suggestion during the campaign that their decision on a type of dog, if they don’t get it before the election, should be moved up, given the competition from the ‘McCainines’. An AP-Yahoo News poll last June (2008) found that pet owners favored John McCain over Barack Obama, 42% to 37%, with an even larger margin among dog owners. One survey participant explained that he “tells you that they are responsible for at least something, taking care of something.” However, in the case of the McCains, “a lot of things.” McCain’s menagerie includes a large number of fish, some parakeets, Cuff and Link tortoises, Oreo the cat, and four dogs, including terriers Lucy and Desi. Obama was able to take comfort in his 14-point lead among those without pets, except that they form a definite minority of American households.

The Obamas were previously warned that while it was nice, they were definitely looking for another major life change by getting a dog for the first time. “A dog was never an option in the apartment I grew up in,” Obama said, “and my daughters knew that training the dog they loved so much was nothing compared to training me to accept one.”

Well, now two and a half months have passed since the presidency and there is still no first dog, and it seems that the whole world, at least the pet-loving world, is waiting for his election and the arrival of the first dog. First Lady Michelle’s word is April, after her Spring Break family vacation, and possibly a Labradoodle or Portuguese Water Dog (or bloodhound)…and not a puppy (which could mean that in the end the AKC did get their next thoroughbred to become the White House after all.) The odds are on the Portuguese Water Dog, highly recommended by Senator Ted Kennedy, whose niece Caroline got a pony while in the White House. He has two. His coat is single layered and does not shed. In most cases, these dogs are hypoallergenic, making them a good choice for those with allergies.

So, there will be a new dog romping on the South Lawn later this month.

The next obvious question for speculation, of course, is the perfect name for the next first dog. Some suggest the Obamas should only have two, one for each of the girls, and call them Hope and Change. Of course, there are others who suggest having two dogs, but calling them Smoke and Mirror or Fear and “Quo” for Status Quo would be the better call, but that would be a topic for another type of blog or article.