White House May Soon Welcome Puppies

Forget the high-level corruption claims against Gov. Bill Richardson, forget the impending disaster of former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris' arrival in the Senate this week. We now have at hand a serious news story involving dogs.

A passionate national contingent is on the certifiable edge of its seat awaiting details of the dog Barack Obama promised his daughters prior to the election. Will the President-elect, like running mate Joe Biden, infuriate animal welfare groups by purchasing a purebred puppy from a breeder? Or will he deliver on his vow to adopt a "mutt like me" by procuring the new White House dog at an animal shelter.

The answer is, maybe a little of both.

According to MSNBC, an American Kennel Club source reports that the Obama family may ultimately decide upon not one but TWO puppies. One adopted and one purebred. Are we witnessing the Obama Administration's first major flip-flop debacle? Possibly.

"A dog from a shelter is almost a given," says the AKC source, "but there's the problem of shedding and Malia's allergies. Getting a second dog at the same time, one that is purebred and has the least chance of shedding, hasn't been ruled out... It's a good solution that will make everyone happy, most of all, Malia."

Skeptics will surely quibble--or possibly blow their tops--pointing out that shelters are bursting with hypoallergenic dogs like Labradoodles, Cavapoos or Peekapoos, abandoned after the 1990s hybrid-dog craze. And then there's the reasoning behind such a decision, which would anger animal rights groups to no end while barely causing a hiccup among dog breeders, who surely have their Westminster blinders on right now.

Barry, Michelle, kids, all I can say is, tread carefully.

B. Brandon Barker can also be found here.