"With respect to the dog, there are two issues that have to be reconciled..."

[kpete]

- President-elect Barack Obama, at his press conference today.


http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/11/07/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html

Obama Comment of the Year

"With respect to the dog ... we have two criteria that have to be reconciled..."*

.........................

Update: A reader offers some useful advice:

The Obamas should get a retired racing Greyhound. Tens of thousands are available. They come already housebroken, are hypoallergenic, no shedding, no barking, great with kids, and best of all they rarely bite reporters! Presidents John Tyler & Rutherford Hayes both owned them.

*updated with the benefit of the transcript.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/07/obama.conference.transcript/index.html

--Noam Scheiber


http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/11/07/obama-comment-of-the-year.aspx

respect the dog, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...kp

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. I think that's a good choice

[MzShellG]

15. I like greyhounds, but......

The girls are young and they should have a puppy. Frankly, they should just choose whatever dog they want. It doesnt have to be political.

[Muttocracy]

2. a greyhound would be a great choice - just buy it several comfy beds :)

[Candie Date]

3. With the added benefit

of looking just like Obama.

(They do say dogs resemble their owners)

[daninthemoon]

4. to me, it is interesting that at the same time the country is following

this warm story of the new puppy for the new firstfamily, bush's nasty little dog bit a photographer. There is not one bit of bushes regime that was not corrupt, and even his dog stands in stark contrast to Obama's impending puppy.

[maxsolomon]

7. Barney would be much happier away from the Bushes

Scottish Terriers are quarrelsome. They're "real" terriers, and need 1 or 2 steady handlers that they can trust. Barney does not have that.

Barney is a victim of the Bush regime.

[daninthemoon]

12. I prefer to believe that barney just reflects the emotional environment

he is living in: he is acting out the feelings he picks up from *. Certainly a victim in that the poor pooch couldn't help where he ended up, but he is a member of that family. The Obama's puppy will reflect an entirely different emotional quality. Wanna bet?

[kpete]

13. i think we all

feel Barney's pain...kp

[frickaline]

5. They could get one from Massachusetts since

we are closing the racetrack here. There will be a lot of displaced animals, I imagine.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/11/05/bid_to_ban_dog_racing_succeeds_on_2d_try/

[maxsolomon]

6. the white house needs a dog with some verve.

90 mile an hour couch potatoes ain't gon' cut it.

i predict they'll get some ungodly doodle mix.

[goodgd_yall]

8. He needn't go to a shelter, a rescue organziation will do

I vote for Bichon Frise or Norwich Terrier, both hypoallergenic dogs. But a greyhound is an excellent choice too, in fact....I think I like it better than my choices. Of course, it all depends what the girls prefer. Do they want a small dog or a tall dog, a regal-looking dog, or a cutie?

[The True Adonis]

9. Agreed. Greyhound for Obama! Here are our Presidential Dogs!

[The True Adonis]

10. 2 More! Obama Definitely Needs one of these!

[Poseidan]

16. never knew Greyhounds had such large noses

The better to smell you with.

I enjoy being smelled by dogs, and I don't care if you think it's weird!

I do though, suggest, to the Obama family, to get a fine mutt. I have had several 'pure-breds', all of which have suffered through countless health-problems. All my mutts have been healthy 'till the end. My personal dog, Nala (a pure-bred black-lab, named after the Lion Queen herself), died from a number of cancerous growths, the particular killers growing around her heart, restricting its function.

[FirstLight]

11. I have been thinking that a nice yellow Lab would be perfect!

they love kids, and i can see the girl throwing a friz-bee for him on the front lawn! how cool will it be to see a real family in the white house... youngsters and all...

*sigh* January can't come too soon!


FWIW - MY 6 year old is pretty savvy and loves Sasha obama -
On Wednesday morning, after she heard about the puppy thing, she figured this out and blew me away (i told her we can't get a dog until we BUY a house, and that seems far off indeed)

She said: "Now that Obama's president, you'll be able to buy a house and we can get a puppy just like Sasha!"

god i love the kids these days! too smart!

:rofl:

[rucky]

14. Greyhounds are awesome dogs.

I wish I had one.

[Retrograde]

17. the greyhounds I've met

a limited sample, I admit, have been couch potatoes. I don't know how well they would do with active kids.

How about an unclipped Standard Poodle? Or at least not one with a froo-froo cut. They're intelligent, seem good with kids, and not bad looking when they're allowed to look like dogs. We always had mutts from the pound, though.

[EmilyAnne]

18. If I could choose a dog for the Obamas, it would be a rescued Papillon.

They are small, extremely trainable and very smart (the only small breed dogs that are used for search and rescue missions). They don't have an undercoat, which cuts down on allergens and shedding. They can be full of energy for running and playing with small children, but they can just as easily spend hours upon hours cuddled up on the couch. Plus, they're cute as hell. A perfect dog for little girls.