Obama Family to Welcome Two Puppies?

by Karenke4 | January 5, 2009 at 04:04 pm

1644 views | 5 Recommendations | 8 comments

The Obama family may be welcoming not one, but two new puppies to the White House.

Rumors are circulating that the family is planning on adopting a dog from a shelter, as well as purchasing a hypoallergenic pure breed that may better suit daughter Malia due to her allergies.

Is this a political move by Obama, representative of his desire to appeal to both parties? Or merely a dad trying to satisfy his kids?

“A dog from a shelter is almost a given, but there's the problem of shedding and Malia's allergies. Getting a second dog at the same time, one that is purebred and has the least chance of shedding, hasn't been ruled out,” says the source. “It's a good solution that will make everyone happy, most of all, Malia.”

I don't exactly see the logic behind this rumor. Adopted dogs can be as low shedding as pure breeds.

According to Petfinder.com, an online database of shelter animals, there are more than 5,000 low-shedding dogs available for adoption in the United States.

And no dogs, no animals for that matter, are completely hypoallergenic. Add to that the various health problems associated with any pure breed dog...

And anyway won't Malia still be around the other furry, shedding, shelter-mutt even if it doesn't belong to her?

They are called “family dogs” for a reason.

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JCAC Parolee

at 18:52 on January 5th, 2009

I am one of many ad hoc volunteers that try to get the animals that end up at the Jefferson County Missouri Animal Control rescued. This shelter is in a rural area way off the beaten path. I am one of three volunteers that take pictures of the animals. We post them to a group Flickr page. Many, many more individuals watch the Flickr page. They contact rescue groups to try and get them to pull the animals, post ads on Craigslist seeking foster homes so a foster only rescue can pull them, arrange transport and call the shelter to check to see if the animals are still there. It is a lovely group of committed animal people doing good work and I am honored to be a part of it. My handle, JCAC Parolee, is in tribute to my dog Buffy. She was once on death row there. I saw an ad for a foster on Craigslist and volunteered to do it. We kept her. She'll never go back but we joke she's on parole.

JCAC Parolee has contributed a photo to this story.

NancyCz

at 18:58 on January 5th, 2009

Shelter dogs are totally the way to go!

reneetellezphotography

at 22:43 on January 5th, 2009

I've been a volunteer at my local Humane Society and taken pictures there and at Animal Control. I think people would be surprised at just how many pure breeds you see at shelters, especially during the poor economy. I have two shelter dogs myself, one of them being a Pomeranian, and wouldn't trade them for anything.

Rina Miller (not verified)

at 05:17 on January 6th, 2009

Please, First Family, opt for two shelter dogs. You'll make your daughters happy and save two lives. Everyone wins. I know -- I have eight rescued animals and they are the loves of my life. One of my dogs was a last-chancer, too. She's the smartest, sweetest, yet most protective pooch I've ever had.

schizek

at 08:21 on January 6th, 2009

I have rescued and fostered hundreds of dogs from shelters. You can get dogs of all ages including baby puppies and virtually any breed. There are plenty of non-shedding low-allergen dogs and even pure-bred dogs available through rescues and shelters. Here are just a handful of non-shedding dogs I have personally fostered or known recently at shelters...

My dog who is a non-shedding poodle/terrier mix

Shi-Poo (Shih Tzu/Poodle Mix puppy... came to shelter at ~10 weeks old... This is him all grown up)

Pure-bred Silky Terrier

Pure-bred Maltese (came in with several other pure-bred Maltese)

Pure-bred Shih Tzu (came in with at least 8 other pure-bred shih tzus and Lhasa Apsos)

Pure-bred Miniature Schnauzer (came in with 3 other pure-bred miniature Schnauzers)

Shih Tzu/Tibetan Terrier Mix

Labradoodle (came in with 47 other Labradoodles and pure-bred Labrador Retrievers and Pure-bred poodles)

azzayindia

at 08:19 on January 6th, 2009

first of all i am against the pure breeding thing it is farce their is nothing like breeding and the pure bred dogs are bred from sisters and brothers hence they are not helathy. The shelter dogs r street dogs are much better as they are street smart.to pay such exhuberant price for the bred dog is silly and stupid

canined.com dog pictures

at 10:13 on January 6th, 2009

rescue yorkiepoo aka yorkiepoo (yorkshire terrier + miniature poodle) hybrid cross breed dog picture. the gray yorkie terrier and miniature poodle hybrid was rescued from a dog shelter/kennel. the cute small dog has a pronounced poodle dog coat and wore a cute pink small dog coat with a red paw print dog leash.

-google: canined

canined.com dog pictures has contributed a photo to this story.

amber10_79

at 19:49 on January 7th, 2009

This photo was taken recently of a pit bull that was abused and beaten so brutally by his owner that he's permanently disfigured. We're praying for a rescue. Info on this baby can be found on the original flickr photo.

amber10_79 has contributed a photo to this story.