President-elect tells reporters that picking a first family dog is "a major issue."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday, November 08, 2008
WASHINGTON — The White House has been mostly a dog house when it comes to presidential pets. And President-elect Barack Obama plans to keep it that way.
During the presidential campaign, Obama had promised his daughters a pet no matter the outcome of the election. "I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House," Obama told Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, during his victory speech Tuesday in Chicago.
On Friday, at his first post-election news conference, Obama jokingly said getting a dog is "a major issue." He told reporters that his mention on election night of getting a puppy had "generated more interest on his Web site than any other topic."
He said, "We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic so it has to be hypoallergenic."
Obama also said there are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, and that the family's preference is to adopt a dog from a shelter.
"But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," Obama said, referring to his mixed race heritage. "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household."
Actually, there is no such thing as an allergy-free furry animal, doctors say. Dogs and cats all shed skin cells. And proteins found in their saliva or urine can also trigger allergic reactions.
Still, the American Kennel Club says there is a good selection of low-allergy dogs. And they don't have to be hairless or tiny. Poodles, for example, are considered a good choice for people with allergies, along with several terriers and Portuguese water dogs.
The poodle was the top choice for the Obamas in an American Kennel Club survey of more than 42,000 people.
Also, a surprising number of shelter dogs are purebreds, said John Polis of Best Friends, an animal rescue group based in Utah. Some animal rescue societies are devoted to particular breeds.
"There is a misconception that shelter dogs are all mutts," Polis said. "But a person who wants to adopt a poodle can find one. There are plenty of ways to adopt a purebred dog."
The current pet occupants of the White House are President Bush's two Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, and a cat, Willie. Barney has his own page on the White House Web site and stars in an annual Christmas video.
Pets have long been a tradition with first families.
"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog," Harry Truman once said.
George Washington got his dog, Vulcan, from Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette as a gift. James Garfield named his dog Veto as an indirect warning to Congress. Abraham Lincoln's beloved dog, Fido, was killed by a knife-wielding drunk. Herbert Hoover's dog, King Tut, accompanied him in campaign photos.
"Ever since President Hoover there have been dogs at the White House who have been major photographic stars," said William Bushong, historian at the White House Historical Association and curator of an exhibit on White House pets. Pets "are part of painting a whole picture of a president's life."
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