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Doggy In The White House

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By justmesuzanne


A Time Honored Tradition

The nation is abuzz! What should President Elect Obama do? How should he choose? Where will he go? What kind of a doggy should he have? While this may seem like a rather unimportant question what with everything else he has on his mind, it is actually worthy of quite a bit of consideration.

Twenty-five of our forty-two presidents have had a dog or ten according to the American Presidents Dogs website and they have been dogs of some merit. We Americans want our president to be a well-rounded individual, and having a pet is just part of it. According to Harry S Truman, "Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads."

Washington had his ten hounds, LBJ had his variety pack of seven dogs (including one mongrel) Teddy Roosevelt had his pit bull (among other things), Gerald Ford had his Liberty. What kind of dog should the Obamas get?

Bear in mind that there are a couple of things the Obamas will be considering as they search for the perfect dog: First, their oldest daughter, Malia, has allergies, so they will want a hypoallergenic dog. Second, of course, is image. They will want at least one dog that presents a strong, confident, friendly, All-American image - a dog that is befitting for a man who leads our nation.

Here are some choices I came up with. Have a look, and see what you think. Remember to vote and comment at the end of the article!

(Note: Resources & Photo Credits may also be found at the end of the article.)

Copyright:SuzanneBennett:November 30, 2008 

The American Bulldog

Among purebreds,this is my choice! The American Bulldog is intelligent, loyal, friendly, good with children, and highly trainable. He is a good, short-haired family dog that should do well with a child with allergies.

Standard Poodle

A Standard Poodle is a nice dignified dog that is hypoallergenic. These are intelligent, friendly, trainable dogs. With a plain, short haircut, he is not even very frou-frou! But is this the right dog for the President of the US?
A Standard Poodle is a nice dignified dog that is hypoallergenic. These are intelligent, friendly, trainable dogs. With a plain, short haircut, he is not even very frou-frou! But is this the right dog for the President of the US?

Chihuahua

Well-trained Chihuahuas are nice little dogs, although not a personal favorite of mine. They are popular & this variety has a very short coat so good for people with allergies. Maybe good for the girls but not for the Prez!
Well-trained Chihuahuas are nice little dogs, although not a personal favorite of mine. They are popular & this variety has a very short coat so good for people with allergies. Maybe good for the girls but not for the Prez!

Mixed Breed Rescue Dog

Here are my Freckles & my Hazle. Both were mixed breed, American Bulldog type rescue dogs. They were two of the best dogs I ever had. Both were short-haired, intelligent, highly trainable, calm dogs worthy of the title First Dog!
Here are my Freckles & my Hazle. Both were mixed breed, American Bulldog type rescue dogs. They were two of the best dogs I ever had. Both were short-haired, intelligent, highly trainable, calm dogs worthy of the title First Dog!

Two Dogs: One For President Obama & One For His Daughters

Here is Freckles with my Little Old Guy, Skip, a (sort of) Cock-A-Poo (listed as hypoallergenic). This combo might be a good choice for the Obamas: A medium sized, dignified dog for the President & a cute smarty-pants for the girls!
Here is Freckles with my Little Old Guy, Skip, a (sort of) Cock-A-Poo (listed as hypoallergenic). This combo might be a good choice for the Obamas: A medium sized, dignified dog for the President & a cute smarty-pants for the girls!

Get Out The Vote!

What kind of dog(s) should the Obamas choose?

  • American Bulldog
  • Standard Poodle
  • Chihuahua
  • Rescue Dog
  • Two Dogs: One for President Obama & One for his daughters. Please specify in comments.
  • Other: Please specify in comments.
See results without voting

Hope Moves Into Our White House!

Bo Obama: First Dog of the United States of America Bo Obama: First Dog of the United States of America
Price: $8.95
List Price: $8.95
Bo, America's Commander in Leash Bo, America's Commander in Leash
Price: $8.80
List Price: $14.95
An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems
Price: $6.00
List Price: $15.00
Hopes and Dreams: The Story of Barack Obama Hopes and Dreams: The Story of Barack Obama
Price: $0.01
List Price: $9.95

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Comments

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tinacarla profile image

tinacarla  says:
12 months ago

this hub is very interesting!! I like the pictures of the Dogs ,they are so cute!

Melissa G profile image

Melissa G  says:
12 months ago

Interesting hub, Suzanne! And your dogs are beautiful! This is something I've been thinking about lately, also. I don't know much about dogs, but I hope they end up adopting a mixed breed from a shelter or the humane society--I think that would set a great example! Poodles aren't my favorite either, but I think a Poodle-lab mix (Labradoodle) might be nice!

justmesuzanne profile image

justmesuzanne  says:
12 months ago

I'm stickin' to my guns! It's gotta be an American Bulldog (type - rescue is better) named Spike! :) The girls can have some kind of a "doodle". I don't want my president to have a dog with a silly name! I mean, just think about it: President Barrack Obama and his LabraDoodle, Dandy! LOL!

Melissa G profile image

Melissa G  says:
12 months ago

Hahaha, you bring up a good point. :)

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Resources & Photo Credits

RESOURCES

AMERICAN PRESIDENTS DOGS

http://www.dog-names.org.uk/american-presidents-dogs.htm

DOG BREED INFO CENTER - AMERICAN BULLDOG

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanbulldog.htm

AMERICAN BULLDOG RESCUE

http://www.americanbulldogrescue.com/

STANDARD POODLE INFORMATION

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/standardpoodle.htm

CHIHUAHUA INFORMATION

http://www.akc.org/breeds/chihuahua/

HYPOALLERGENIC DOGS

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/allergy.htm

PHOTOS

AMERICAN BULLDOG

Photographer: apdk: everystockphoto.com

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

STANDARD POODLE

Photographer: ninja poodles: everystockphoto.com

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

CHIHUAHUA

Photographer Irish Lane : everystockphoto.com

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Photos of Freckles, Skip & Hazle are from the collection of My Own Backyard

Photographer/Copyright: SuzanneBennett

 

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