Choosing the Obamas' dog

The wait is almost over, dog lovers, said Amelia Glynn in the San Francisco Chronicle. President-elect Barack Obama says his family has narrowed down the hunt for a dog for the Obama girls—it’s between a Portuguese water dog and a Labradoodle, which you get by crossing a Labrador retriever with a poodle. Not surprisingly, the American Kennel Club is recommending the water dog, because it says purebred dogs are more predictable.

The choice isn’t so clear, said Susan Pigg in the Toronto Star. “Both dogs are smart, don't shed and are hypoallergenic—a must, given the allergies of Obama's elder daughter Malia, 10." And some trainers will tell you that Labradoodles make the best family dogs you can find—they don't mind if your busy schedule means they get shortchanged on walks, as long as they get to spend time with you.

The Obamas might be torn, said Lisa Tolin for the Associated Press (via Newser). But American pet owners have cast their votes, and by a 2-to-1 margin in polls they "prefer a mutt in the White House." As one respondent to an AP-Petside.com survey put it, “We’re a country of mutts.” And they definitely want the Obamas to follow through with their promise to get the animal from a shelter.

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During the campaign, said Sharon Otterman in The New York Times, Obama said the goldendoodle—a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle—was Malia's top choice. "There was no word from Mr. Obama on why the goldendoodle had withdrawn from consideration."