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.