The election is over, and the good guy won. But this is no time to rest on our laurels. We should get thinking about the next steps, and start pushing president-elect Obama to do the right thing on Day 1. In a country at war, in the midst of a financial crisis, with a failing health care system and an increasingly cynical, frustrated population, Obama needs to hit the ground running. So, dear Feministe readers, I pose the most important question to all of you:
What kind of puppy should the Obama family adopt? I vote french bulldog.
{ 56 comments }
I’m a cat person, so I really have no preference for the breed of dog they get, but what I DO think is that they should get their dog from the Humane Society or a pound… Get an animal that needs a family! And get a cat too… Don’t alienate the cat people of America!
I agree with Mireille–a dog from the pound rather than a purebred would be a pretty cool statement from the first family.
Pitbull! (From the pound.)
Agreed about the shelter-pet thing. That would be wonderful.
Boxer… the best dog in the world. :)
Shelter pup definitely, and some kind of breed/mix that’s friendly and lovable. With a sweet face, to match the girls’ sweet faces, natch.
Adult, mixed breed, spayed or neutered shelter dog. In addition to the reasons above, these dogs are generally healthier than pedigreed dogs.
A purebred dog from a rescue group might be cool too.
As a resident of Massachusetts, which just voted to outlaw dog racing, I think they should consider a rescue greyhound.
They are in fact going to adopt a shelter dog:
http://network.bestfriends.org/obamafamilydog/news/29375.html
he should get one of the michael vick dogs
Fantastic. I’ll update the post to reflect that.
One of these!
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11951355
I want one but the hubby says, we already have one crazy dog, we can’t take another. :(
I signed the petition and was so happy to hear that they agreed to adopt a rescue dog. It’s going to send a great message about the importance of adoption and help dispell the myth that purebred pets are the best pets. And of course, I’d love to see them also adopt a black cat (or two)!
That’s so awesome! It’s little things like this that give me some hope that when it comes to the big things, Obama will do the right thing.
A rescued Corgi (to keep the secret service in line). But I’m biased :)
I am so in love with Japanese Pugs…It is the dog we are getting in a few years when the kids are older. I love the way they snort. I am such a sucker for them
I’d vote for something that isn’t going to fall over dead from hereditary/congenital problems. Bulldogs can’t breathe and Boxers are disasters in terms of health problems. I’m not saying a mutt will be problem-free, but Boxers have their very own type of cardiomyopathy.
Greyhounds are nice except for their dental issues.
A shelter dog for sure, boxer or something smaller.
I am a cat person, so I tend to like smaller(ish) dogs.
Totally needs one from the pound, or a rescued Vicks dog. But definately a rescue dog. He’s here to help us, make available the opportunities to better ourselves. he should do that with a pet too.
I say a rescued greyhound, because it’s long, lanky, and skinny like Obama himself. ;) It’s definitely the breed that looks most like him.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/doodlepictures
Labradoodle…
Shelter mutts! Mutts are the best, and are less likely to have health problems, and I like mutts because it is more difficult to attribute behaviors to “their breed,” instead the dog is more of an individual!
(Not to say that breed-recognizeable dogs are not individual and don’t have lots of ways they differ from a breed- I just get tired of people being like “Oh, I want breed x because they have temperament y” instead of thinking of a dog as an individual.)
Ha, they could match Queen Elizabeth!
And I agree with the suggestion of a mutt–beagle mutts are a great size!
Yeah, a mutt–any kind, really. Perhaps even two, so that each girl has one to play with.
Even though I have to confess that I still have an autograph card from the Clintons’ cat, Socks. Which I treasure. Highly.
apparently one of the girls is allergic so they’ll be limited in breeds from which to choose. I’m sure the humane society or rescue groups will help identify hypoallergenic rescues for them to meet and, hopefully, adopt.
@Kristen: my coonhound was the hook crazy when I adopted him and put a lot of work (therapy, training & prozac) into him. The SPCA told me he could never live with another dog and I should have never considered getting another dog but he really needed they type of animal companionship and play I couldn’t provide. He got a little sister (one that now outweighs him by 5 – 10 lbs) about 2 years ago. Conventional wisdom would have dictated he needed a lower energy dog for a good match, Kid Dynamite bounces off walls (literally) and yet, she’s had a calming influence on him.
Westie!
I’m partial to beagles and all kind of retrievers.
Shelter dog, black, pit bull.
Black dogs have a hard time getting adopted, as do pit bulls. The shelter I volunteer at is usually over half black dogs and cats, and nearly half the dogs are pit bull mixes.
But if they adopt a pit bull, you know full well it will end up named “lipstick” or some variant. Maybe even “Wasilla.”
Then again, if it’s a male dog, I think Maverick would be a great name.
I hope they adopt a mixed breed mutt dog from an animal shelter. Basing there choice not on how cute (or mean!) the dog looks would be a great thing!
Grate Dane omg! haha
Oh dear. A rescued mutt would be awesome, but according to http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/the-search-for-the-first-puppy Malia Obama has allergies, so it won’t be easy to find a non-purebred shelter dog that will work for the family. I hope the poor kid doesn’t get stuck with a dog that makes her sneeze and itch because it was the politically expedient choice!
Australian Shepherd, or a mixed breed of the like. Intelligent, loyal, protective without being aggressive–plus they’re beautiful dogs (I’m partial to blue merle) and great family pets.
They’re just so friggin’ cute as puppies. Oh my. To be fair, I keep googling all the breeds everyone mentions and dying of cuteness every time, so clearly I’m easy. But I agree–a rescued dog is a lovely idea.
Ok I love pitbulls and I think it would be great if they adopted one but I’m disturbed by the idea of any family with young children adopting a dog that has been trained for fighting a la Michael Vick.
Rescued trained fighters need to go to adult families only.
That said if allergies are an issue they will probably end up with some type of poodle cross.
A mutt! Mutts live longer and are less likely to have health problems, making them a fantastic family pet that you can love and keep as a member of the family for years to come. Mutts are definitely best for children to be able to grow up with!
List of dogs breeds with little or no dander (OK for people with allergies):
Basenji
Bichon Frise
Border Terrier
Cairn
Chinese Crested (hairless)
Havanese
Kerry Blue Terrier
Maltese
Schnauzer
Portuguese Water Dog
Shih Tzu
Spanish Water Dog
Tibetan Terrier
Poodle
West Highland
Wirehaired Fox Terrier
If you can’t find one at a regular shelter, I’m sure there are breed specific rescue organizations that can help the Obama’s locate one that fits right into their family
Without reference to the ethical concerns above, I’ll just pick a breed I like:
How about a Great Pyrenees? It’ll be bigger than Sasha in no time, and then she can ride it like a unicorn.
Miniature Schnauzer! They’re good for people with allergies, and, of course, adorable. (I may be biased, as I have one of my own.)
Kerry Blue terrier! They could name it John, or Teresa if it is a girl.
I think they should get a miniature horse.
I love Scotch Collies and Salukis myself but I think it would be great if they were to rescue a greyhound. A Westie also sounds good since I know they’re wonderful little guys and good with allergies (unlikely to find one in a shelter though I’d think since the waiting list to get one from a proper breeder was a few years long when last I heard)
I think the girls would enjoy some rescue chinchillas.
My wife and I vote for Boston Terrier (there are rescued ones, of course). It’s a truly American breed, and I believe it does not bother people with allergies. We had a Boston for many years–Casey, and he was the best dog I’ve ever known: sweet, smart, cute and utterly loveable. Not that I’m biased. Seriously, it’s a great breed. :)
Greyhound! They’re fairly hypoallergenic, IIRC, and there are unfortunately many of them in need of rescue… the U.S. really needs to ban dog racing (I’d be okay with capital punishment for the people in charge of it, too). Anyway, they’re such sweet dogs – and it’s always fun when dogs look like their humans – in this case tall, lanky, and with that easily deliberate way of moving.
Here’s a list of dogs I made up with some reasons I think they’d be a good choice for a dog.
Bichon Frise: I just saw something on Animal Planet that said they’re the healthiest dogs and can live 20 years.
Beagle: Beagles are also very healthy and family friendly.
Border Collie: I read a while back that these are the smartest dogs. And the White House lawn is plenty space for a Border Collie to get out its energy.
Papillion: Athletic and adorable. Good watch dogs, too.
Greyhoud: They have a universal blood type, so donating blood from your greyhound can help save the lives of other doggies. Very socially responsible.
Labrador Retriever: I have one. He’s the best. They’re very smart and playful throughout their whole lives. My Lab is 10, and he’s just as playful as he was when he was a puppy. And they never stop wagging their tails. They’re just happy all the time. I have a Black one, so I’m partial to the Black Labs.
And, of course, any dog from a shelter or rescue.
actually, many of the Michael Vick dogs already do live with children. Check out this Washington Post photo essay (chapter 2 towards the end has many cute shots with kids):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/vickdogs/
A couple of the dogs (including the one featured in chapter 3) are now certified therapy dogs.
WIENER DOG!!! I WANT!
A rescue, obviously. I’d also say a big (>lab) dog would be a good change from those ridiculous terriers that have occupied the First Pet dog bed for the last eight years.
Considering Malia’s allergies, I think a Schnauzer of some description might be good- or maybe a standard Poodle because the minis can be snippy.
To the commenter that recommended a Dane- I love my Dane, but she does produce dander- less of it, maybe. And while the older Obama kid might be able to handle a dog that strong, the littler one could be run roughshod. They’re sweet loving dogs but it’s common for them to not know their own strength.
I am so, so happy that they’ll be rescuing.
They definitely need to get a mixed breed dog. Whenever a dog of one identifiable breed gets media attention, people go out and buy them in droves, which leads to a lot of bad breeding practices. If they get a nice mutt, then people won’t be able to go out and buy a lookalike dog :)
Totally OT to this post, but my daughter at Stanford just forwarded this to me:
From Stanford alumnus and former ASSU leader, Steve Phillips
Begin forwarded message:
From: Steve Phillips
Date: October 30, 2008 10:55:54 AM PDT
Subject: Talent Bank for the Next President
In 5 days, the President-Elect will begin in earnest the process of
selecting the people who will staff the next Presidential Administration.
The team of people who serve in the Administration will automatically
comprise much of the formal and informal political leadership of the country
for the next two decades. If history is any guide, the enormity of the
challenges of putting together an administration and addressing the pressing
problems of the day will not allow much time for the kinds of outreach and
recruitment that are necessary to find the best talent within
underrepresented communities.
To address this problem, I am happy to announce that I am working with UC
Berkeley’s Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute for Race, Ethnicity and
Diversity (Warren Institute) on a project to identify a diverse pool of
talented candidates for public service in the next Presidential
Administration.
The objective of the “Diversity in Democracy Project” is to develop a list
of 300 highly qualified, experienced professionals and provide these names
to key officials to help in the very difficult job of staffing a new
Administration. I’m chairing the advisory board of this project, and
working closely with Maria Echaveste, former Deputy Chief of Staff to
President Clinton, to connect our list of diverse candidates to the official
Presidential Transition efforts underway now.
I’m reaching out to you and others who may know talented people who would be
interested in serving the next Administration (yourself included!). We’re
seeking resumes of diverse, talented and experienced individuals with an
interest in public sector service and a demonstrated interest in and
commitment to issues of social and economic justice. We are especially
seeking people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and people with
disabilities, as those are the groups most often overlooked in these kinds
of processes.
Please forward or have resumes sent to talentbank@stevephillips.com. If you
would like to nominate people and don’t have their resumes, please send
names, email addresses and phone numbers to the same address,
talentbank@stevephillips.com, and we can follow up with them. Feel free to
circulate this message and the instructions for submittal to your own
networks, but please let us know who you are forwarding to so we can try to
avoid duplicative messages.
To be fully considered, resumes must be received no later than November 20,
2008. We will ensure all resumes get into the Warren Institute process.
Thank you in advance for your time and your help in achieving this critical
goal. If you have any questions, please email me or call (408) 540-6073.
In Solidarity and Hope,
Steve Phillips
Thanks to everyone for all of the adorable animal photos! I’ve been oooohing and awwwwing all morning. :)
If we’re going by cuteness: a shar pei puppy. Look at those…those…wibbles!
Mikey @37: When I was about six years old, my family had a giant white dog that was mostly Irish Wolfhound. A huge suck, and yes, large enough to ride around on (though I never did; that dog galloped).
Our next dog was a mutt that had been abused by her first owners and nursed back to health by her second owners, who had to give her away because she kept trying to herd the neighbours’ cows. Part herding dog and also part husky, she never feels it is a proper walk unless she is simultaneously chasing after something and pulling you along. We suspect she is also part dingo/coyote/wolf. Er…yes, a rescue mutt is the way to go. More complicated, maybe, but just as lovable.
Awww. I love shar-peis. They’re so wrinkly!
For Mikey @37, we have a Pyr and a Pyr mix, both from rescues, and, unfortunately, I think this breed would be a disaster for the Obamas, given the amount of shedding Pyrs do–unless Malia were to be seriously medicated for her allergies.
But I did want to give a plug for the breed as an excellent family pet–our Pyr male is 140+ pounds and just about the most mellow, goofy dog you will ever meet. Given their size, they are a relatively easy to find via rescues–people buy the cute widdle puppies and then freak out when they grow into ponies.
I’ve heard that Malia is allergic to dogs, that the girls have expressed interest in a goldendoodle, and that the First Lady-elect is insisting on a shelter dog. The goldendoodle is a good call, since poodles are said to be largely hypoallergenic, and I read that a Chicago rescue organization has offered to help them find one in area shelters.
In other words – AWESOME.
Comments on this entry are closed.