Obama Family Pet - Advice

Barack Obama promised his kids a puppy if he won. And he did. Now the challenge will be to pick the perfect White House pooch. Apparently Joe Biden also promised his wife they could get a dog. Is anybody blogging about this, giving them advice? In fact they are:


Amy Althouse mentions that the Obama's are being pressured to adopt a rescue.

Sue Nelson thinks they should get a lab.

Amelia Glynn thinks a pit bull would send a good vibe about discrimination, pit bulls having been given a pretty bad rap.

Celebrity gossip Perez Hilton would like them to get a goldendoodle like his.

Somebody on CBC radio said the cat lobby won't be happy unless they also get a feline friend.

Eight-year-old Fil-Am Karina Encarnacion sent the President-elect a two-page handwritten letter in September suggesting a Coton de Tulear and got a letter back. I have to say I like her idea, but then I'm biased, having a hypo-allergenic, if somewhat taciturn relative to the Bichon-type Coton, a Shih Tzu. The White House would be awesome with a little pack of ultra-vigilant "temple" dogs.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) advises the first family to devote the same care in picking a new family pet that the President-elect will in selecting his cabinet. [Story here] Dr. James Cook, president of the AVMA, says that Obamas' unique lifestyle will be a consideration and recommended a brochure, What You Should Know About Selecting a Dog.

The American Kennel Club held a survey that resulted in the recommendation of a poodle.

Personally, I like the rescue idea too, which would be fitting in the current economic situation, especially if it's a mixed breed, which would be also very "melting pot." Most people agree purebreds can be troubled with health issues like hip dysplasia, and they also can be ranked pretty accurately in terms of intelligence. Mixes are reputed to be both healthier and smarter.

They'll never please everyone of course, even if they tried a hybrid approach like getting a purebred rescue, e.g. at Shih Tzu Rescue.

However it works out, here's good wishes to the Obamas and Bidens. We all know the enormous benefits to having animals in your household and workplace.

We don't see a "pets" or "animal rights" policy on the President-elect's brilliant new website Change.gov, but without doubt they're working on it.

Edward Tufte, the information visualization guru, is definitely into dog (and generally animal) friendly work environments.

Meanwhile, the outgoing President's puppy, Barney, is feeling grumpy. Yesterday he bit Reuter's reporter John Decker's finger. What's up with that? His master may be moving but it's not like there's going to be any shortage of biscuits. Bush and his cronies have no doubt tucked away billions to tide them through the economic disaster they've saddled America and the rest of world with.

And finally in the visual nonsense department BoingBoing featured this video of a dog named Herpe who can say "Obama": Video link.

Shih Tzu - What you need to know

Most breed evaluations on the web will make note of breed limitations or unusual characteristics. Here's a very nice, short bit about the Shih Tzu, that is very true (in my experience) but also nothing you can't cope with; it's just useful to know in advance.

about the Shih Tzu on amazines.com

Best breeds ever

I've been putting off this post but it feels inevitable that I should weigh in on the question of what is a Great City Dog. The caveat is that any breed can be a great city dog; it depends so much on what you do with your dog. I see all kinds of dogs in our local dog park, Trinity Bellwoods in Toronto, and some are great and some are not so great but it rarely has anything to do with breed.

That said, here are some of my personal favourites:

Basset Hound - adorable, laconic, low maintenance dogs with ears like silk.

Boston Terrier - I'm not a big fan, but Bostons impress me as smart, attentive, "untroubled" dogs, or at least I've yet to meet one who had behavioural "challenges."

Bulldog - What can I say. I LOVE bulldogs. They are gross, and adorable.

German Shepherd - what can you say, Shepherds are great dogs period. I doubt there is a breed that would better bring out the best in you.

Lhasa Apso - like their cousins, the Maltese and Shih Tsu, these are somewhat reserved dogs; but my view is that that's a good thing in the city where many of us are over-extended and, perhaps because we live chock-a-block with so many people, protective of our quiet privacy.

Pug - Pug owners are about as nuts as their dogs are crazy lookin' - ya gotta love the people and dogs that could come up with the Pugalug!

Shih Tzu - okay, I'm prejudiced. But for me, this taciturn angel is absolutely a Great City Dog for busy downtowners like me.

Soft Coated Weaton Terrier - non-shedding, there are alot of SCWT crosses out there. I've seen quite a range of personality but basically they're all good, quite active, but smart and engaging.

Weimaraner - Although not the most social dogs, I have yet to see one that didn't have a great relationship with its owner and wasn't well behaved in all circumstances. And they are simply beautiful, conveyed nicely, tho' with a little too much irony for me personally by artist William Wegman.

Labrador Retriever

As New York Times reporter David Carr put it, about having his own blog, it's like "a large yellow Labrador: friendly, fun, not all that bright, but constantly demanding your attention."
- in a Village Voice article about the art market.

This is the first GCD(Great City Dogs) breed evaluation, appropriate because I originally wanted a Lab, a yellow Lab in fact, but ended up with this instead. Read our post about Choosing a Puppy.

Carr sums up nicely what most people think about Labs, and a lot of typical Labs. Like all dogs, the better qualities of the breed require a certain amount of work to bring out. For example, Labs are considered highly intelligent (by the standard of the number of repetitions required for them to learn a command -- it's no accident that they make excellent guide dogs) but if you aren't going to do the repetitions, then your Lab is going to seem not all that bright.

Labs see themselves as having two main jobs in life (not all dogs live to work, but some breeds do, including Labs): retrieving and companionship. You and your Lab are going to be happiest spending a lot of time together throwing and chasing a ball.

Labs are also prone to overeating and, if combined with lack of exercise, will get fat. They also shed, not as much as Golden Retrievers, but a lot, so grooming becomes pretty important.

As puppies, they like to chew, and that can be disastrous combined with their need to be your constant companion. Left alone, puppies can destroy furniture, even drywall.

But I still love Labs. It's not for no reason that you see lots of them in the dog park. I can't see owning one myself any more, but then I'm learning that I am a deep city person (DCG) and DCGs need GCDs (Great City Dogs).

About the GCD rating system^TM:
Four paws - a truly great city dog
Three paws - a good, sometimes great dog
Two paws - a dog that connects with certain people
One paw - a dog only someone as special as you can love