Barack's poodle?

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