Results tagged “Barack Obama” from South Bay Pets

It looks like the First Dog is going to have some company.

While the country has (rigthly) been obsessing about what kind of dog President-elect Barack Obama is going to get, his future vice president snuck out and got his own puppy.

I can't even begin to imagine what the carpets in the White House are going to look like when they leave office.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden picked out a German shepherd pup last weekend from a breeder near his Delaware home, according to a local newspaper report.

Biden was reportedly promised the post-election dog by his wife, Jill, who would tape pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane.

The vice president-elect picked out a month-old male German shepherd from a breeder in Chester County, Pa., according to the Daily Local News. The breeder told the paper Biden wanted a family dog that was social and obedient and said Biden's granddaughters will name him.

No such thing, says cranky vet. What will the Obamas do now? The nation is watching.

I got this e-mail from local dog lover Diane Bassett. And yes, that's her real last name. I've met her.

She has a rescue dog that she things would make a perfect pet for the Obama family.

Since Diane works in public relations, she knows how to write a press release:

Palos Verdes dog trainer Diane Bassett has contacted Barak Obama to encourage him to adopt a local puppy named Marcy rescued by the Redondo Beach nonprofit Rover Rescue.

Upon hearing that the first family is intending to adopt a puppy in need of a home, Bassett immediately thought of a puppy she had been fostering for the past several weeks.

"She is a 10-month-old terrier mix who is affectionate, and adorable, and she doesn't shed." she explained. "She has her own blog with videos, photos, and training updates She's crate-trained, her basic obedience is coming along very well and I offered them free training support for her entire life. Bassett didn't feel that the dog's location in the south bay should be an issue for the family. "They have to take the whole country into account, not just Illinois.  Why should candidate dogs in California be excluded?"

Marcy's Web page can be viewed here.

"We have not heard back from him yet," she said, "but given the state of the economy he's inheriting, we've offered him a special Presidential discount on her adoption fee. He's going to need all the help he can get."

President-elect Barack Obama gave his first press conference today.

In his usual style, he was calm, thoughtful and exuded a preturnatural sense of confidence.

But among the pressing questions about the faltering economy and the threat from Iran, Obama was asked what is no doubt the most important issue his kids have to deal with: The dog he promised them.

Here's the exchange he had with reporters via CNN:

Obama told a group of reporters in Chicago on Friday that since his 10-year-old daughter, Malia, is allergic, the Obama family is looking for a hypoallergenic breed. But Obama also said the family wants to adopt one from a shelter.

"There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, but on the other hand our preference is to get a shelter dog, but obviously, a lot of the shelter dogs are mutts like me," Obama said. "So, whether we are going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household."

Obama is of mixed racial heritage: His mother was Caucasian and his father was African.

Obama announced in his victory speech on Election Day that his daughters had "earned" a puppy. Obama joked that this is a "major issue" and said that since Election Day, the family's dog choice has created more interest than any other topic.

As well it should.

I wonder what ever happened to Socks the cat.

Barack Obama is giving his speech right now. It's an amazing moment.

But perhaps the best part of all is he just said he was going to buy his daughters a puppy!

This isn't a political blog, but I was covering a Sarah Palin speech today in Carson and came across somebody holding these buttons. I just had to take a picture of it.

Now we know who dogs are voting for. But what about cats?

This just in: The poodle wins.

You may recall that the American Kennel Club has been asking Americans to cast their vote for what kind of dog the Obama family should get.

Barack, you see, is sans a dog -- a genuine faux paw, as it were, for anyone running for the nation's highest office.

A poll conducted this summer, after all, discovered that pet owners favored John McCain (who has a menagerie of pets) over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners strongly in McCain's corner.

Win or lose, Barack has promised his kids their first family dog. But there were complications. The candidate's two young daughters, for one thing, have allergies. And, should he win in November, any dog living in the White House is going to have to be really, really well behaved. No biting or jumping or barking at visiting dignitaries.

More than 42,000 people cast their vote over the seven-week campaign. The Poodle clinched the nomination after the breed battled it out with the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier in a race almost as tight as the Clinton and Obama run for the Democratic nomination for president. The poodle won by a (dog) hair, with just a few hundred votes separating the top two contenders.

"Most of our presidents kept purebreds in the White House," said AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "When times get tough -- during a bad economy or when presidential pressures are at their peak -- these dogs serve as personal companions and give much relaxation and laughter to our leaders."

I was rooting for the Wheaton terrier myself, but the AKC says the poodle isn't a bad choice. And not a surprise win, either: "Poodles are currently the eighth most popular breed in the U.S.," Peterson said.

They come in three sizes and are "exceptionally smart and athletic," the AKC says.

But most importantly, there's that pet-owner vote up for grabs.

Related posts: Vote for (maybe) First Dog;  Barack and the dog;  Campaign going to the dogs?;  Presidential pets

Barack Obama has promised his children that if and when he becomes president, one of the first things he's going to do is get a dog.

I don't know if this is just a ploy to snag the all-important pet-owning vote, or if his offer is sincere.

Whatever his reasons, good for Barack. I have a theory that if everybody on the planet owned a Labrador Retriever, all wars, murder and misery will immediately come to an end.

The AKC immediately piped in with advice on what kind of purebread animal will fit his active lifestyle.

But the animal rescue group Best Friends has it's own suggestion: Why not adopt a purebread? Along with the usual assortment of mutts, there are plenty of fancy-pants dogs available.

And they did what all good Americans do when they want to get a point across: They started a petition.

Go ahead and sign if if you want. I'm fairly certain this won't commit you to anything come the November elections.

The precise wording is not clear, but it appears that Jesse Jackson has threatened to cut off Barack Obama's unmentionables. Or that somebody else should. Or that they should fall off on their own accord. Something like that.

Outrage has been expressed. Apologies were offered. The Drudge Report has jumped all over it. But one group seems to have been left out of the discussion.

My dog has been, um, testicularly impaired for more than a year and he's managing to get along just fine without them. My cat doesn't have any either.

In fact, we have a joke we like to tell: What has 10 legs, two tales and one pair of testicles?

The residents of my house! (Insert rim shot here)

Hillary Clinton came this close to getting the nomination and she doesn't have any either.

Hitler only had one of them and look at all the trouble he caused.

John McCain is so manly, I bet he has three or four of them.

But if anybody needs an extra set, might I suggest they do what neurotic animal owners do: Get a fake set.

"Deciding what breed to get is as important as deciding whether to get a dog in the first place," says AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "The first step in being a responsible pet owner is to do some serious and careful research to determine which breed of dog is right for you and your family."