Three dogs for Obama
Dear President Obama,
As one who has both contributed to and been bugged by the amount of publicity garnered by the dog you haven’t gotten; as one who believes the decision on what kind of dog your family should get is up to the Obama family alone; as one who finds all the unsolicited recommendations for First Dog annoyingly presumptuous, I have done my best to avoid falling into that trap.
Up to now, we at ohmidog! have stuck with just the facts — you going public while on the campaign trail with the decision to get a dog for your daughters once the election was over; you saying a shelter or rescue dog would be the family’s first choice; you announcing that, because of daughter Malia’s allergies, your family had narrowed the choices to two “hypo-allergenic” breeds, Labradoodle and Portugese water dog.
Up to now, we’ve kept our opinions, and our advice, to ourselves.
Today, though, in the interest of serving our country and its dogs, and because we figure you have other demands on your time, we break that policy and present three dogs we think are worthy of a shot at the White House – not breeds, mind you, but actual dogs.
They, I suspect, may be among dozens if not hundreds of dogs that have been or will be offered to the First Family.
I wish you the best of luck both in your family’s dog choice and in your presidency, and — because I believe your family dog is your family’s decision — I will leave it at that and withhold my advice, which would be to get all three.
Your friend,
ohmidog!
Posted by jwoestendiek January 22nd, 2009 under Muttsblog.
Tags: a dog for obama, barack obama, breeds, choice, dogs, first dog, first family, labradoodle, malia, mutts, obama, obama dog, ohmidog!, pets, portugese water dog, presidency, president, rescue, selection, shelter, white house
Comments
Comment from Mary Schmidt
Time January 22, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Great letter.
I don’t really understand a kid wanting to give away his own puppy (or adults allowing a dog to mate and have puppies carelessly), but the other two choices seem very appealing.
Mostly I think the Obamas should adopt their new dog soon. The Obama children are extraordinarily charming and still full of innocent joy. Their new dog can help them keep their sweetness by being their loyal friend, a source of love no matter how the political winds are blowing. Is there anyone less impressed by celebrity than a dog? Obama Dog will keep Malia and Sasha grounded.
I get the feeling that President and Mrs. Obama don’t know a whole lot about dogs. They will certainly have all the help they need to train and care for their dog. Perhaps the Obamas will become role models for good dog ownership as they themselves help a new pooch adjust to life in the White House.
Comment from Anne-n-Spencer
Time January 22, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I kind of like the idea of a Canadian labradoodle. There’s a lot in favor of this choice. First, the puppy’s story will emphasize all the issues around puppy mills. Second, I don’t think Manitoba has the same awful BSL as Ontario has–so no danger of interfacing with any of that. Third, it’s one of the two recommended types of dog for Malia’s allergies. Fourth, it would promote nice warm international-relations stuff–which we need at the moment. And fifth, the puppy is darned cute.
I’ve ransacked my brain to come up with appropriately Canadian dog names, but I could only shake loose three of them. It could be named King after Sergeant Preston’s legendary lead dog, Yukon King. Or it could be Diefenbaker after the half wolf who first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of his (human’s) father. The bonus there would be that it’s also the name of a famous prime minister. Nice Chicago tie-in on that one, too. Or maybe White Fang after the dog protagonist of the book by Jack London. I considered Buck from “Call of the Wild,” but he was actually born in California.