The Obamas and the First Dog

last updated 8 January 2015

“Now that Barack Obama has won the presidency,” said Joe Blundo in Ohio's Columbus Dispatch, “all eyes turn to one of his toughest decisions: the selection of a dog.” Obama promised his daughters a puppy if he was elected—”expect the kids to hold him accountable.” Everyone else is opining on what type of dog they should take to the White House.

Obama laid out one criterion already, said AP medical reporter Lindsey Tanner in Yahoo! News. At his first post-election press conference, he said that daughter Malia is allergic to dogs, so the First Dog has to be “hypoallergenic.” Sadly, “there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog,” and truly allergic kids should avoid the animals. “How about a fish instead?”