American Kennel Club Offers Suggestions For Obama's New 'Number Two'

akc.org ^ | 07/02/08 | akc

[cubreporter]

Wow. What a report. Glad you know them so well. I didn’t realize that before.

[AnAmericanMother]

When a couple of politicians who have never owned a dog before suddenly and publicly announce (or at least Michelle does) that they are going to get a dog, what do YOU think? We saw how awfully well that worked out with the Clintons . . . .

If I had a litter right now, I would not sell the Obamas a pup at any price given what I know.

If they demonstrated that they are not just doing a political publicity stunt but are actually willing to make a 12-15 year commitment to care for a creature that will depend on them for everything, including proper training, then it might be a different story.

If you get a pup from a reputable breeder, you can expect to be closely questioned on how you're going to care for their pup, training, environment, etc. etc. It's really more a question of YOU being interviewed by the breeder, rather than the other way around. (That's how you know you're getting a good dog.)

[smithone]

As for a breed for the Obamas, the AKC has scoured all of the "canine candidates" to assess each breed's credentials as potential "first pet."

I'm going to puke.

[AnAmericanMother]

A Chessie is quite a handful. We have some in the club, and it takes a special person to manage one.

Now that I have some experience, and know some folks with good Chessies, I think I could manage one effectively. There's a particular dry-grass color bitch in the club who is the best-handling hunt test dog I've seen in awhile, as well as being very sweet tempered and good with strangers and other dogs. She is phenomenal. If her owner decides to breed her I would be very tempted.

[smithone]

They don't have time for a dog.

But think of all the wonderful photo ops with the puppy. Unfortunately, a lot of people will buy into it.

[cubreporter]

The Obamas want to get their children a pet.
Why do you compare them to the recklessness of the clintins?

They will do just fine. Johnson’s had pets, Carter, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Bush Sr. and Bush,Jr...Obama and his family will do just fine and so will the animal they adopt.

[smithone]

At the risk of sounding stupid, what is a Chessie?

[txhurl]

The Bedouin’s bred the Saluki in the likeness of the mighty Arabian horse. Grace, speed, endurance and beauty were never compromised and to this day are still the most prominent characteristics of both species. They are clean-cut with silky hair, deep chests and long legs.

Salukis are considered holy and often revered as “a sacred gift of Allah”. The Bedouin’s believe that the “Saluki is the hound of Allah; and must therefore be perfect.” Because the saluki was considered holy they were allowed to live among the tribe in the tents. No other dog or creature was even allowed this privilege.

Because Muslims consider dogs unclean: that's why Obama and his lineage have no experience with them.

http://www.salukis.lv/history.htm

[9YearLurker]

I wonder how they’d do as police sniffer dogs.

[Tribune7]

Who’s the boss of number 2?

[smithone]

They will do just fine. Johnson’s had pets, Carter, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Bush Sr. and Bush,Jr...Obama and his family will do just fine and so will the animal they adopt.

You're talking about people who had always owned dogs, they didn't acquire them for family photo ops and they didn't chose the dog by asking the AKC.

If Obama wants a dog he should adopt one from the Humane Society instead of asking the AKC to pick a breed for him. Also, mutts give off less CO2 emissions. (OK, I made that part up.)

Clinton adopted a dog (Barney?) during the Lewinski scandal. This is the same ploy and it makes me sick. The Clintons couldn't even hire a caretaker who could keep the dog from being killed by a car.

[TornadoAlley3]

grandma?

[peggybac]

Vote here:

http://www.akc.org/poll/special/presidential.cfm

[2nd amendment mama]

Chesapeake Bay Retriever. As I said, they're awesome dogs but not for everyone. They're not like labs as far as temperment goes.

[dfwgator]

[2nd amendment mama]

Yeah, that color is called “deadgrass”. My ex husband still has our deadgrass male. When I left I took my female, Sodapop (she’s on my homepage) who has since gone to the rainbow bridge. I now have Rex, a 125 lb (not at all overweight - just huge) 6 year old male that I rescued 2 1/2 years ago. He’s definitely a handful...LOL

[MediaMole]

Labs will hunt, Terriers will dig and chase vermin

That explains my Lab-Terrier mix's remarkable ability to retrieve dead rodents. "Thank you for dropping that dead chipmunk at my feet." She is the first dog I've had who can actually catch rats and chipmunks.

It makes me wonder why the AKC left Rat Terrier off their list. It seems so appropriate.

[AnAmericanMother]

All those presidents you mention had pets BEFORE they ran for the presidency. The Bushes in particular have always had dogs, mostly spaniels. They didn't just suddenly decide to acquire one as their presidential campaign went national.

This is like the Clintons cynically deciding to get a focus-group tested dog in the middle of the Monica scandal, and then abandoning it to the street when the heat was off.

And this is a family that apparently has never even owned a goldfish before, deciding to take on a dog for the first time in the middle of a grueling presidential run.

As the Church Lady says,

"How conVEEEEEnient!"

[cubreporter]

You are set in your thoughts so no need to carry on this conversation. I hope you have a more positive day.

[AnAmericanMother]

Sodapop looks like a darling. And she has a very soft eye.

We had a great retriever trainer give a seminar at our club -- Carol Cassity, whose own dogs are all Chessies. She says that, while they seem hard-headed, it's mostly because they are very stoic and they're really soft at heart. Her theory is that if you get too firm with them they just shut down on you. Seems to work for her - she has splendid dogs.

Labs are just impervious to discipline -- besides being natural clowns!