Obama Puppy Media Frenzy

This topic is growing like Topsy, demonstrating how a story that hits the mass media can generate spin offs like a sit com.

Peru is offering the Obamas a hairless. Good for them. Best publicity they've had in... a dog's age, though the dog, to be frank, looks like a bat and is often toothless, inappropriate for a new U.S. government.

Meanwhile vets have their stethoscopes in a knot over the idea of a "hypoallergenic" dog; no such thing they say, all dogs produce dander it's just that some breeds produce less and shed less, like poodles and poodle-crosses and many others.

Img src: The Book of the Shih Tzu (t.f.h. 1980).

We got our Shih Tzu partly because my son has allergies so we wanted a non-shedding breed and it's worked out great. Not only is the Shih Tzu a quiet, manageable companion but they look like Dr. Seuss characters, as my friend Dave Eddie observed today.

The Dog Channel reports on a survey to choose a name for the future Presidential pup. The top ten are disappointing:
1. Hope
2. Lucky
3. Change
4. Sarah
5. George
6. Maverick
7. Snoopy
8. Buddy
9. Champ
10. Dog

Dog? Are you kidding me? Far down the list is Nomad; I like the ring of that.

Tips for picking your dog's name:
two syllables max so it's easy to say, and
strong first consonant, a sound that carries well and your dog will recognize long before you've finished calling.
For more on this, Greg Marlett' blog Best Dog Name and his parallel Squidoo column have great advice and lots of examples.

Click here if you want to see the search for news on this topic: Google News search using the terms [Obama dog].

Here's a handy service that's great for researchers or anyone who wants to follow news on a particular topic: Use Google's "alert" function to get notifications for new stories about the Obama dog in your email inbox.

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.