ohmidog!

The Newseum in Washington, as part of its new exhibit, “First Dogs: American Presidents and Their Pets,” is letting visitors cast their votes — with money — on what kind of dog the Obamas should get.

The exhibit, which started Nov. 14 and is expected to stay open at least through January’s inauguration,  showcases some of the top dogs who have resided at the White House.

While hundreds of pets have lived at the White House — including parrots, goats, a one-legged rooster, raccoons and cats — dogs have been the most popular pet, from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala, to George H.W. Bush’s English springer spaniel, Millie, whose book sold more copies than Bush’s own.

Many presidents had multiple dogs, according to the Newseum. Calvin Coolidge kept 12 dogs and a pair of raccoons and John F. Kennedy, though allergic to dogs, had nine, including one that was a gift from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

More than a few presidents brought other critters with them. President Theodore Roosevelt and his family had a one-legged rooster and a pony named Algonquin that once rode in the White House elevator. President William Howard Taft had a Jersey cow named Pauline.

“Animals have always been a part of White House life,” said Newseum exhibits chief Cathy Trost. “More than 50 dogs have lived at the White House, along with alligators, goats, raccoons, parrots, you name it.”

Visitors are casting votes for what kind of dog the Obamas should get with pennies, quarters and a few dollar bills in a small exhibit on presidential pets at the Newseum, a museum about the news. (The museum, which announced a staff reduction this week, says it will use the cash for educational programs.)

Voters can choose from the American Kennel Club’s top five recommendations for allergy-sensitive breeds — poodle, soft coated wheaten terrier, bichon frise, Chinese crested and miniature schnauzer — along with an unspecified shelter dog, as several animal welfare organizations have recommended.

So far, a shelter dog appears to be the people’s choice, followed by the bichon frise, Trost said.

Here’s a look at the best in show competition at the National Dog Show, presented by Purina, and held over the holidays in Reading, Pa.

There were 1,505 dogs — 150 breeds — entered, and best in show went to Holly, an English pointer.

My votes for best supporting characters go to the Lhasa Apso who stopped in mid-strut to bring a little reality to the event, and to the johnny-on-the-spot staff member who, though the cameras didn’t catch the clean-up, was introduced by the announcer as “Peter Green, sanitary engineer.”

You’d think the “Roomba” — the lazy man’s robotic vacuum cleaner — would make the average cat head for the hills, or at least under the couch. Not this cat; he seems to enjoy the ride.

Listen very carefully to the beginning of this Associated Press news report — about Michael Vick’s guilty plea to a state dogfighting charge.

At least it’s supposed to be a state dogfighting charge. No matter how many times I listen to it, it sounds like the reporter is saying “a state dog farting charge.”

“Completely dog-mad.”

That’s how a publicist describes a wealthy accountant and his doctor wife who are spending a quarter of a million pounds — just under $400,000 — on a house for their two Great Danes.

The doggie domicile will feature a 52-inch plasma TV; a retina-scan entry system that will allow the Danes, but no other dogs, entry; two bedrooms and a separate lounging area; two elevated temperature-controlled beds lined with sheepskin, from which the dogs can see out through the giant windows; automatic dispensers of food and chilled, filtered water; a temperature-controlled pool/spa; and an outdoor adventure play area — all of which can be controlled and viewed by the owners via computer from anywhere in the world.

The 1,000-square-foot kennel will adjjoin the main house, both of which are being built on the exclusive Lower Mill Estate near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, according to the London Daily Mail. 

Work is due to start next April and take around 18 months. The owners have requested anonymity. 

“All we can say is that they are a retired couple who are completely dog-mad,” a publicist said. “They said: ‘We want the perfect living space for us and our dogs’ and that’s what they are getting.”

(Illustration by London Daily Mail)

We can think of no better way to mark this Thanksgiving than with this piece, written by Alcestis “Cooky” Oberg, a contributor to USA Today who remembers more than a few dogs waiting for scraps under the dinner table…

“Spaniels, shepherds, setters, poodles, ridgebacks, Labradors and whatnots. All these dogs were strays — lost canines who wandered into our lives and nestled into our hearts. We lived together as a multispecies family, enjoying the seasons, the feasts, the joys together. The dogs were there to soothe our sorrows, too, and to ease the passage of time in the lonely moments of the night.

In an op-ed piece, Oberg gives thanks for her animals and their rescuers.

“This Thanksgiving, I will give thanks for my animal companions in life and for the hundreds of organizations and thousands of people who take notice of such creatures throughout the nation — rescuing them, defending them and finding them homes. It is hard and sometimes unpleasant work, and nobody gets rich doing it. But the ultimate test of our humanity is how we treat animals, and these people redeem our species by saving millions of helpless creatures every year.

Oberg writes of adopting her dog Sierra.

My local SPCA’s efforts brought me my dog, Sierra, 13 years ago. My kids urged me to go there after a beloved pet dog died suddenly. I was crying as we walked past the cages — and in the last one stood Sierra. She was a large spayed female Labrador/shepherd mix, about a year old. She wagged her long magnificent tail confidently as soon as I looked at her, and her brown honest eyes spoke to me as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

And of losing her.

“My old girlfriend Sierra died in her sleep this summer at a very old age — the human equivalent of 105 — with three generations of my family and my large circle of friends mourning the loss of this true and noble soul. We buried her in the shade of the pecan tree she favored, not far from the large sand pile where the children play with toy soldiers and trucks, and beside the path to the barn we walked together twice a day to feed the horses. She will remain in death as ever she was in life — in the heart of my family.

“I’ll especially miss my sweet old beggar with her soulful smoldering eyes beside my chair this Thanksgiving. But I’ll say a prayer of thanks for having known her, for how lucky I was to have found her that cold day at the SPCA 13 years ago.

“She brought us laughter, protection, devotion — and a kind of love that was distilled to a purity that we’ve rarely found in any other aspect of our life journey.

(Photo: A Viszla named Laila — who just so happens to have her own blog — appears thankful for her owner, and vice versa, during a walk in Baltimore’s Riverside Park; by John Woestendiek)

President-elect Obama expressed a desire for “a big rambunctious dog,” as opposed to a “yappy,” lap-sitting, “girly dog” in an ABC News interview with Barbara Walters.

Here’s the exchange that took place between Barack and Michele Obama when Walters  suggested that the First Family get the breed of dog she has — a Havanese, which she referred to as a small, “non-allergenic” terrier.

Obama: “But it’s, like, a little yappy dog …”

Mrs. Obama: “Don’t criticize small dogs…”

Obama: “But it, like, sits in your lap and things.”

Mrs. Obama: “Yes, it’s a cute dog.”

Obama: “It sounds kind of like a girly dog … We’re going to have a big rambunctious dog of some sort.”

Walters had sent Michele Obama a picture of her Havanese, Cha Cha, short for Cha Cha Cha. Obama, in the interview, seemed against the idea of a small dog, but, as he also points out in the interview, Michele often gets the last word.

Obama told Walters that his promise of a dog for his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, has produced an avalanche of advice and dog pictures. “We’re getting more advice about this than my economic policy,” he said with a laugh. “No doubt about it.” He also wanted to be certain that his daughters are going to be willing to “scoop the poop” on the White House lawn.

The interview airs at 10 p.m. tonight on “A Barbara Walters Special: Barack and Michele Obama.”

The beagle — not the turkey — will be dominating this Thanksgiving Day, at least on NBC.

Uno, the first beagle to win best in show at Westminster, will not only make an appearance on The National Dog Show on NBC, he’ll also be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The National Dog Show, sponsored by the Philadelphia Kennel Club — is actually taped ahead of time. (It was held over the weekend in Reading, Pa.) Hosted by John O’Hurley (who played J. Peterman on “Seinfeld”), the show is presented by Purina .

O’Hurley is joined by dog expert and veteran show announcer David Frei, who’ll also be riding with Uno on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade float. Of course, Uno won’t be the only beagle in the parade. Perennial favorite Snoopy — in the form of a giant balloon — will also be there.

The dog show airs at noon on Thanksgiving, right after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

An Oregon man is recovering from being accidentally shot over the weekend when his dog jumped into a boat and set off a shotgun.

Matthew Marcum was shot in the legs and buttocks on Tillamook Bay Saturday. His own 12-gauge shotgun fired when his 3-year-old yellow Lab, Drake, jumped into his boat, according to Oregon State Police.

Marcum’s father, Henry Markum, confirmed that the dog set off the 12-gauge, but said neither he nor Matthew are mad at their pet. He added that Drake is a good dog and the shooting is “just one of those things.”

(Photo: Markum’s boat, with hole, Oregon State Police)

The city council in Monroe, Washington – heeding the call of many concerned dog owners –  has opted to avoid targeting pit bulls, Akitas and other breeds for now, and has passed a temporary dangerous dog ordinance that focuses on a dog’s record rather than its bloodlines.

The interim ordinance gives the council extra time to research recommendations for dangerous dog legislation that have been sent to the council from dozens of agencies and dog organizations, said City Councilman Mitch Ruth, who opposed the breed-specific language, according to the Herald in Everett, Wash.

“We’re trying to find an ordinance that gives adequate teeth for enforcement,” he said. “We want to ensure public safety without using breed-specific language.”

The City Council began considering stricter regulations on dogs after people living in a Chain Lake neighborhood demanded the city do something about dogs involved in several incidents.

Monroe, like most area cities, uses a two-strike approach when dogs become aggressive. Dogs earn the label of potentially dangerous if they bite or act aggressively once. If a second incident happens, the dogs are registered as dangerous.

The council considered a proposal that called for the first warning to be skipped in cases involving about a dozen breeds, but that proved unpopular with many dog owners.