Becca, it isn't always that easy though. Allergies manifest in many different ways.

My mom is a meticulous housekeeper (plus she has help ), yet before my dad underwent bioresonance therapy, he was severely allergic to the Standard Schanuzer they got after my Wirehaired Dachshund died.

Dachsies aren't considered "hypoallergenic", but my dad didn't have any problems with Ellie, as long as he watched that he didn't get any saliva on his skin, or washed it off asap. She would even take naps on the couch with him, curled up on his chest and with her head against his neck.

Dad couldn't tolerate being around one friend's Aussie, but had no problem at the house of another friend with a GSD.

When Bruno (the supposedly "hypoallergenic" Schnauzer) first came along, after a few days my dad was unable to stay in the same room with him, let alone pet him. (Of course he did anyway, because he loves dogs, but it cost him dearly and he was in a lot of discomfort for a long time.)

It took many months of therapy for my dad to get to the point where his reactions were only very mild, and still many more before they were gone completely.

For much of that time, my parents lived in separate households (my mom at the house with the dog, my dad at the hotel they are running), otherwise there would have been a good chance my dad would either have suffocated, or gone insane with the itching.

I actually e-mailed him and told him (I doubt he's actually reading e-mails, but what the heck?) that he could certainly find purebred dogs in shelters and if that didn't work out, he could still go to breed rescue and get a pup that way. I warned against buying a designer pup from a breeder because of the potential that his choice would lead to mills abd BYBs cranking out scads of whatever type of dog he chose....

It may never get to him, but at least I tried!

J.

How wonderful, I was so happy that Obama is the new president. He certainly seems to have morals and a "real" tough with the people. and to rescue a dog that needs a home is just icing on the cake.

Yeah, just can't let it go:

Found this guy on Petfinder:

I disagree. I mean it would be great BUT... I don't know.

And we don't know how allergic his daughter is.

I don't think it would be great; I think it would be awful. A black First Family getting a pit bull? You'd never hear the end of it from the stereotypers and haters on Faux News and talk radio. Good heavens, I can just imagine the fun that Billo the Clown would have with that.

I'd love to see a Standard Poodle in the Whitehouse.

I don't know why but I think of Standard Poodles as very White Housey type dogs. I wish they could get a mutt, then no one breed would bear the burden of being the "it" dog of the year.

Ick Ick Ick!!! This Stereo type could be put to rest forever by the President getting a well socialized Pit bull that was a total smush face and loved everyone. Skye is already taken but she would be perfect for the job.
I understand if his daughter is allergic, and really his poor kids should be able to get whatever kind of dog they want, even if he gets reelected the dog will be with them longer then the time it will spend in the White house.

I don't think it would work that way. There still is, you know, a segment of the American population that firmly believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Stereotypes and misconceptions, particularly of the racial variety, don't get "put to rest" so easily. If they did, four decades probably wouldn't have elapsed between Dr. King and President Obama. I'm just saying.



I'm guessing that these are the factors that are weighing the most heavily in the decision for the family.

ETA: breaking news on MSNBC: Lawrence O'Donnell says that there is now discussion of the Obamas becoming a TWO-DOG family. Just discussion so far, he says, but ... ???

That would be so sad if they couldn't get a pibble for their home because of stereotypes. Surely no one would associate the POTUS with a gang banger? It's all about busting up those prejudices - time to call it quits on breed discrimination. It's not gonna happen, I know.

I had the joyous, steady nature of the breed and the fact that it's supposed to be "for their kids." A friend is wanting to adopt a dog for their four kids - mostly to be the buddy for their eight year old son and I'm looking for a sturdy, sound pibble for them. I guess that's why I had it in my head. That and the incident with the reporter today - and poor Buddy.

Okay, I got permission to post this. It's hilarious. From "buster the show dog" on dog..com

I'm guessing that the next few weeks will be a busy time for the Obama family. In a spirit of bipartisan cooperation I have taken the liberty of filling out a typical Rescue Application for them:

Name: Barack Hussein Obama

Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC

e-mail: alphadog@earthlink.gov

Best time to call: 3 AM

Number of children: 2

Other children under the age of 18 visiting regularly: approximately 200 per day

How long at current address?: Will be moving in 20 January 2009

Do you own or rent your home?: Rent

If rental, for how long is your lease? 4 yrs with option to renew for another 4 years

If rental does your landlord allow pets? My announcement of my intention to acquire a pet on Nov 4 and was met with thunderous approval

Do you have a fenced yard?: Yes

Describe: 18 acres surrounded by steel picket fence, reinforced with armed security force. Addditionally, road in front of house is closed to vehicular traffic.

Where will your dog sleep?: Lincoln bedroom

How many hours a day will your dog be left alone?: None. Ever.

If you should become unable to care for your pet have you made arrangements for someone else to assume those responsibilities?: Yes

Whom?: Joe Biden

Please provide names of two references who can attest to your commitment and responsibility: ProfWilliam Ayers and Rev Richard Wright and 63,410,301 other potential references.

What training will you give your dog?: Canine Good Citizenship will be required

Will you agree to a home check by a rescue volunteer?: Yes, provided volunteer can pass s FBI, CIA and Homeland Security clearance.

How many hours per week do you work?: Based on previous holder of my job, approximately 2 hrs per day, with 112 vacation days per year.

Have you picked out a name for your dog?: We’re leaning toward Hope, but might consider Sarah or Hillary if we get a bitch

What characteristics do you want your new pet to have?: Audacity, Optimistic outlook. Large floppy ears.

Do you prefer a purebred or mixed breed?: Definitely a mixed breed

If your dog should become seriously ill will you be able to afford veterinary care?: Yes we can!

If you travel will you be able to bring your dog with you?: Yes we can!

Will you be able to maintain grooming requirements for your dog?: Yes we can!

Edited to query: Who's Billo the Clown?

Someone with a child with that degree of reactivity wouldn't be a candidate for any rescue dog of mine, of any breed, POTUS or no. As you say, sometimes the child might be reacting to something else about the dog.

Either you can tolerate a low level of exposure, or you can't - when it comes to a rescue it's all about preventing that dog from experiencing the trauma of "boomeranging" if at all possible. Not to mention, when Obama's child starts reaching for the inhaler every time she touches "Fraggle II", that's going to look really bad for rescue.

I'm just looking at it as a long-time rescuer.

So a Pitbull would be a bad choice because it would be too black of a thing to do? Wow that is just wrong on so many levels.

My point was actually just that the problem can be with an individual dog just as much as with an entire breed.

My dad never had any more severe issues than a bit of itching from saliva on sensitive skin (e.g. inside of wrists) with both my Dane and my Dachshund. All that changed completely when Bruno the Schnauzer came into the picture, a dog of a breed often referred to as hypoallergenic. And I'm darn proud that he went through so much trouble to get it all resolved with the bioresonance therapy instead of just giving the dog back to the breeder.

Over the recent two years or so I've met so many cool Poodles, I've grown quite fond of the breed (all sizes, but especially the standards) and I do think a Poodle would make a great "First Dog". maybe it would show people what a cool breed they are and that they don't need to be crossed with other breeds to make some sort of "cool" designer breed that's "hypoallergenic".

Kathleen,
Stomper sends you one big wiggly tailing thump thump lick!

And I think that it would be horribly twisted by the race-baiters on TV and radio. That was all I said; I didn't say a bull breed would be a bad choice. (I think that breed choice was Becca's suggestion, anyway, not the Obama daughters'. Clearly, the answer to this whole issue is that Becca gets a pit bull!)

Becca, Billo the Clown is a nickname bestowed on BIll O'Reilly by his friend Keith Olbermann.

Wow, tacky. And I believe that *Richard* Wright wrote "Black Boy" and Rev. *Jeremiah* Wright is the Trinity pastor. So ignorant as well as tacky. Lots of that out there on the internets, huh?

I know that isn't how you feel about it Connie. the whole thing just pisses me off. Bully breeds are victims because they are popular among a certain segment of the population.
I agree, Becca getting a Bully sounds like the answer to me too.

Oh Becca...I know of a really nice APBT at the Oakland AC that was shaped to do a handstand. Really a fast learning and super cute doggie! Just think of the entertainment you could provide with your handstanding APBT

I met a lovely pit bull the other day -- he got out of his yard and came charging after me and my dogs, and when I turned and yelled at him ("what do you think you're doing, get back there!") he stopped, turned around, and strolled off, with a backward glance that said "sheesh, freak out much, lady?" ! He then went back through the gap in the fence into his yard.

Also, the guy across the street from me has a new pitbull puppy; his old girl pittie died last month, she was 14. She was a real character and I know he misses her. Glad he has a puppy.

I can't think of a better person to be a spokes person for bully breeds. He's a smart, educated, family guy. We hope he's responsible and will provide a great home for the dog.

It would be cool if they adopted a SENIOR, bully, mutt, hired a fantablulous trainer and become a voice for responsible dog ownership and the reality of the bully breeds. Heck maybe he could talk about how his senior dog's health improved on quality dog food. We could cover every dog issue all at one time!

I love Standard Poodles as well That would be a fantastic choice for a "First Dog" My Sister had a Standard Poodle named Ellie, what a fantastic obedience dog and easily obtained her CD, CDX and other titles. She was also naturally sensible even though she came from a show/kennel home. I really grew to love the breed when my sister had Ellie. She also named her grooming business after Ellie.

Thanks for saying what I didn't want to say. I think it's horrible that it would happen but true. It's a shame.

I vote for a good mutt, one that you can't even tell what breed it is....a spokesdog for all the mutts in rescues.

Me too.

But don't forget we're talking about a first dog for a family with small children and a crazy work schedule. I love pitties, but no terrier is particularly good as a first time dog for someone. We've mentioned that numerous times in other posts. It can work, but it's not ideal.

With the entire country looking for a dog for the First Family, I think they'll find the right one - especially since Obama has stated he'd rather like a mutt. However, we're talking about what appear to be typical little girls - they're going to want the fluffiest, cutest, cuddliest dog they can get their hands on. When I was Malia's age I wanted a cockapoo so badly because they are so cute. (We wound up with a cairn terrier instead - I know whereof I speak about terriers for first timers!) Now Bug is all about GSDs, BCs, and she does love pitties, but my kid isn't really average when it comes to interests common for her age/sex!

I think Obama is going to look at rescues first and foremost, but ultimately, it sounds like it's the girls' decision. And with all the crap the First Daughters will have to put up with in the White House, I'm all for letting them have a choice in cute, fluffy dog if that's what they want.

I wish them well, maybe it would be good if they had a staff member who could be sort of an in-house trainer- who could show the girls how to behave around/treat dogs, and also keep the dog well exercised and happy.

The more I'm thinking about it I think a little crested (or two) would be perfect for the allergy issue as well as the cutie patootie dress it up like little girls like to do issue. Then there'd be a fashion watch on what the First Dog was wearing next!

A crested would be SO adorable!!!

I hope they'll find some sort of fluffy, cute, but not-super-identifiable by breed little poodle/bichon/cocker/crested/yorkie type mix. Through a rescue or shelter.

Even if they do rescue a purebred, it'd be great to highlight to people that there *are* purebred dogs in rescue. It's not just mutts (which are fab anyways), but much more.

Given how busy their lives really are, no breed would be ideal.