(CNSNews.com) - President-elect Barack Obama will face a host of special interest groups eager for him to live up to his campaign promises, but perhaps none will have the bite of the pledge he made to daughters Malia and Sasha to get them a puppy if they moved into the White House.
As the country faces an economic crisis, ongoing wars and a Congress with a lower approval rating than George W. Bush, it may seem odd that Americans--and, indeed, people around the globe--are obsessing over all things presidential pup, from the best breed, purchase v. adoption, the broader political implications of those choices, and even what allergy medication that might help Malia cope with her new pet.
“Yes we can get a dog” screamed a recent headline in Lab Business Week about a medication for children with allergies.
“Like Barack Obama, the inventor of Allergon Block is a father who was motivated by his desire to help his daughter who suffered from allergies.”
National Public Radio reported in December that experts say Obama is “setting a good example” when it comes to picking a dog for his daughters.
“They’re doing all their homework; they’re asking a lot of questions,” David Frei of the Westminster Kennel Club told NPR. “They are considering all the things that are important to them.”
In November, First Lady-elect Michelle Obama put her credibility on the line in an interview with “60 Minutes,” when she said her daughters will have to wait awhile before their campaign canine promise is fulfilled.
“Because as responsible owners, we--I don’t think it would be good to get a dog in the midst of transition,” Michelle said. “So, when we settle, get in a routine--we think about late winter, early spring--we’re going to get a dog. Now, we cut that deal with our kids before America knew about it.”
The Obama pooch pick has even sparked headlines around the world. On Christmas Eve, the Evening Herald in Ireland reported that gambling on the prospective name of the non-existent puppy is brisk, with Washington, Kennedy and King the top bet getters. Republican monikers for the dog, Reagan and Nixon, had 50 to 1 odds.
In Canada, a Dec. 29 article in the Cornwall Standard Freeholder quoted Harry S. Truman on the topic of dogs and the executive branch.
“If you want a friend in Washington,” Truman said, “get a dog.”
The article goes on to detail all of the presidential dogs over the history of the office, including Abraham Lincoln’s mutt, Fido and the pure-bred Scottish terriers owned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George W. Bush.
But perhaps the most contentious part of the dog debate is the adoption versus purchase aspect, and the virtues of a mixed breed versus a pedigree.
Obama said at a press conference when asked about the future first dog that it might be “a mutt like me.”
Animal rights activists certainly hope so, with shelters in Washington, D.C. reportedly issuing warm and fuzzy invitations to the Obama family to see the dogs available at their facilities. The Washington Post reported that the Washington Humane Society thinks a toy poodle mix named Dave would be the perfect cute and hypo-allergenic pick, while the Washington Animal Rescue League said you can’t order a hypo-allergenic dog from a shelter, but that there are usually some on hand.
The dog days facing the Obama administration may have even caused the first rift between Obama and the incoming vice president. Sen. Joe Biden beat the president-elect to the punch by getting a German Shepherd puppy before Christmas. This, despite the fact that Obama has apparently also made a pledge to animal activist and psychologist Jane Kohl and a coalition of animal welfare groups that he would raise awareness about the cruelty of the dog breeding industry and the need for pet adoption.
Kohl expressed outrage at Biden’s dog purchase.
“This is a major setback for the canine victims who endure years of abuse at puppy mills,” Kohl said in the January issue of Psychology and Psychiatry Journal. “This is a moral and economic issue that we had hoped this administration would support; we are still counting on Obama to uphold his promise to do the right thing and adopt.”
Biden, meanwhile, seems to be flip-flopping on the issue. The vice-president elect told George Stehanopolous in December that he plans to get a second dog soon – from a shelter.