Puppy Watch
by digby
Like millions of other Americans I am shamefully taken with the story of the Obama girls and their new puppy (and I confess that Obama’s comment that he wanted to get “a mutt like me” gave me a ridiculous sense of happiness.) I admit that as much as I am cold-eyed and realistic about the political scene, I absolutely love the Obama family and any time I see them all together and think of those little girls growing up in the White House I get verklempft. So shoot me.
As to the “mutually exclusive” requirement for the pup — the puppy needs to be hypoallergenic for Malia but they want to adopt a shelter dog — there is a compromise. There are lots of dog rescue groups out there that have pure bred pups that have been abandoned and they need good homes too. They didn’t ask to be born pure bred.
There has been some discussion about this already, apparently, with PETA and the AKC weighing in with their own agendas. (Sheesh) This blogger had a lot of good advice about how to deal with all this:
Obama’s doggie dilemma is complicated by the fact that his 10-year-old daughter Malia has allergies. She’s done the research and wants a goldendoodle, a hypoallergenic hybrid of a golden retriever and a standard poodle that often can’t be found at the pound and isn’t recognized as a breed by the AKC. Choosing the family pet is tricky even when the eyes of the nation aren’t focused on your every move, and the Obamas have already had the high-stakes discussion (even arguing about whether their daughters are responsible enough to care for a dog) on national television. I feel for them. Because our son Graeme is deathly allergic to cats, we gave our daughter’s beloved cat away and, to assuage her grief, promised to get her a dog. Our search for a replacement might not pass PETA litmus tests. For PETA, every animal purchased from a breeder represents a missed opportunity for a pooch on euthanasia row. But when you have a kid with allergies, it’s not as easy as “Let’s go to the Humane Society.” I know; I tried that with Graeme. Exposure to one small hound had him huffing like a Hoover. And finding a hypoallergenic breed at the pound can be close to impossible. We found plenty of options on the AKC’s list of hypoallergenic dogs. They’re cheaper than buying a Labradoodle puppy, which can cost upwards of $2,000, but they didn’t interest us. We’re just not toy poodle people. Our final solution may offer the perfect political path for the Obamas. We put the word out with a group of pet rescuers that we were looking for a goldendoodle or Labradoodle. Groups dedicated to rescuing mutts and specific breeds (the AKC maintains a list of breed rescue groups) match owners who are giving their animals away with families looking for a new pet. For us, it paid off in late July when we adopted a 7-month-old Labradoodle (pictured left) from a family relocating across the country. We got the dog we were looking for (no wheezing in the Kelley household), kept a puppy from going to the pound, and supported the kind of organization even the AKC can get behind. That kind of political maneuvering can win hearts and minds (at least the ones that belong to my kids). I wonder if the Obama campaign is looking for a pet consultant?
They should call him.
Here’s what the new potential first puppy, if it’s a goldendoodle, will look like:
