OK, Obama is going to get a puppy for his daughters. Very nice. But will it be some AKC purebred or a Heinz? How to break this down? Will the puppy come from a pound? Or somewhere else? Puppies are harder to come by in dog pounds. Most of the condemned canines are pooches cast off by bored owners. Grown. Not puppies.

But this is perhaps a *great* PR opportunity for dog pounds. How will Obama handle this defining decision?

Voted "Not from a pound." Will be disappointed if I'm wrong.

^^ Bad dyslexic moment. Disregard.

Voted from a pound. He's already on record as saying that his family will adopt a dog.

HSUS statement

I hope this isn't one of the first campaign promise he breaks.

EDIT: Puppies can be gotten from the shelter, they just go very quickly. Usually you have to have go to the shelter early in the morning, or if your local shelter allows it, you can put your name on a list for a specific age/breed of dog.

Sometimes even purebreds wind up in need of rescue.

Certainly. That's why I decided to break it down as "Pound" versus "NOT Pound".

I love dogs. Someday I will have a dog.

There are City Pounds, SPCA shelters, and Rescue places that are devoted to specific breeds. The Rescue places are often called by other shelters when those breeds are brought in.

Unless it's a puppy, Obama's dog will be second hand.

If you really want a pool, try guessing what breed it will be. For sure it won't be anything noted for aggressiveness.

What's disappointing about the President-elect getting a shelter dog?

Oh, man, talk about a bad dyslexic moment. I feel the opposite. I'd be disappointed if he didn't get one from the pound. My last two dogs were both adopted: one from a family we found through an animal rescue group, one from a shelter.

I loved what Jon Stewart said about the Puppy thing:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=209407&title=road-to-the-dog-house

I don't see the issue either way...

The crux of the issue is that puppies from puppy mills (and even private breeders) are often bred beyond the levels that are needed to sustain demand for those particular breeds. The problem with this is that eventually the unwanted animals are euthanized.

It's an easily preventable problem if people follow Bob Barker's advice and spay/neuter their pets, and if more folks choose to adopt pets from shelters/rescues. Obama has a nice opportunity here to set a good example, but ultimately, it's his decision.

They need a dog - otherwise the presidential dog walker will have to get a job. That's what it all about isn't it.

Apparently, lame duck dog Barney is unhappy with all of the attention being paid to Obama's puppy.

The reporter didn't read the dog at all, the poochies body language was reserved, still, tail down, slightly sideways, ready to run or fight... then the reporter rapidly reaches down towards the dogs head - It's a wonder he didn't loose a chunk.

Obama updates the press on the urgent puppy situation.

"My preference would be to get a shelter puppy, obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."

Interesting that one of his daughters is allergic. It might be hard to find a hypoallergenic breed at a shelter, especially if all the ones at the shelters are mixed breeds.

This is as good a place as any for this link...
http://upsidedowndogs.com/

Malteses for adoption in the Washington, DC area.

Bichons for adoption in the Washington, DC area.

Not like O really needs my help or anything.