Obama's First Press Conference Turns To Dog Talk: "This Is A Major Issue"

CHICAGO -- President-elect Obama promised his daughters a puppy after the election, but finding one is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

"This is a major issue," Obama told reporters at his news conference Friday. It's generated more interest on his Web site than any other topic. But 10-year-old daughter Malia has allergies, so the family is looking for a low-allergy dog.

"We have two criteria that need to be reconciled," said Obama. "One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic."

Unfortunately, there is really no such thing as an allergy-free furry animal. They all shed some skin cells. And proteins found in their saliva or urine can also trigger allergic reactions in people.

Still, there is a good selection of low-allergy dogs. Some are short-hair breeds, but not all. And not all are little dogs.

It's the family's second criteria that may be the more difficult one to fulfill. Obama said the family would prefer to adopt a puppy from an animal rescue shelter.

"But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," said Obama in a self-deprecating reference to his father from Kenya and mother from Kansas. "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two thing, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household."

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Comments

[astar4u]

ewwwwwwwwww. he is so ugly. big wart on his nose.

[astar4u]

THERE IS not such a thing!! duh!!!

[maximei97]

i would prefer a hypo-allergenic dog, too. For my prefrence, it would be either a yorkie, maltese, shih-tzu or poodle. there are many others, but these, are the cutest and lovable dos you can ever have. My cousin has two shih-tzus, my friend has a yorkie, and my other friend has a maltese. they are sooo cute!! I know they are hypo-allergenic. dogs (I studied)!!!

[MetryJen]

Miniature Schnauzer, hands down. If you want something hypoallergenic and sweet, that's the way to go.

[puppy1]

If he dosen't go with the mini schnauzer as has been mentioned quite a bit then I like the idea of going with a samoyed,they are snow-white and they are medium size and they are children friendly and great stress relievers,the schnauzers in my opinion yelp too much. As for a name I like Duke or Max

[MyDogJack]

Calling himself a mutt was a fine example of his self-deprecating style of humor; contrary to his critics charges that he is a megalomaniac. It made me smile when he said it. Let's lighten up a bit.

Besides, I like Mutts. They have something called "hybrid vigor" and aren't suseptable to the illnesses and maladies that plague so many purebred dogs like hip dysplasia in German Sheperds.

[Philament]

I hope the Obamas choose a GREYHOUND and not some prissy poodle.

[sbculligan]

Am I the only one that thinks they should name the dog, Maverick?

[Barryson]

Hmmm. I like the President-elect, but I didn't care for the "mutt" remark. It made me wince. Maybe I'm just too old . . .

By the way, you can't go wrong with a Llhasa Apso.

[kloche]

Jeez, people are being overly sensitive to everything he says and does. I guess we want a humorless President. Was that part of the voting ballot. Is that a requirement for president now.

Obama will be the most scrutinized and criticized president in history. After 8 years of Bush and being the first black president it's clear the the electorate and the media will put this guy under a microscope. I guess we all want him to fail now.

Maybe if we the voters and the media had scrutinized Bush on the same level we wouldn't be in the amount of crap that we are in right now.

[Mikeeee]

"Maybe if we the voters and the media had scrutinized Bush on the same level we wouldn't be in the amount of crap that we are in right now."
Amen!

[NKR]

I wouldn't say most people are being overly sensitive about it. It made me wince too. I think its great that he has a good sense of humor and can crack jokes about himself, but having been called a mutt or half-breed many, many times I'm not such a big fan of the word.

[mdmpo]

I thought it was self-depreciating humor. Nothing more. Nothing to get upset about.

[all4peace]

People!
What's the mutter with us?
We've had a Predident that makes us laugh, when he's not trying to, and a President elect that makes us smile on purpose....alhasa I'm mistaken, I think they've talked about a bigger dog.

[tweeksmom]

Finally we'll have a President we can laugh WITH and not AT....

[nomequietbe]

I read that Malia has researched the subject on the internet and thinks they want a Goldendoodle. It would be super funny if they get a puppy of that breed and name it the "First Doodle."

[gloryoski]

I LOVE goldendoodles. Are they really hypoallergenic though?

[all4peace]

I though that was Palin's hubby!

[Rapid Ray]

Brilliance.

Obama, in the midst of his first press conference, meets a non issue question with a dry humor that could only be spoken by an intelligent President.

The Republican response: "We were considering a rabid pit bull, but the last one didn't work out so good."

[walkthewalk]

The issue is not whether too much was made of obtaining a family dog. The issue is that Obama showed us how he thinks things through. Large issues and small issues are in the eye of the beholder. To Malia and Sasha, and much of the dog-loving American public, selecting a pet is no small matter.

[Buj]

I know Obama deliberately insert 'the "mutt" phrase. He is playing down his race, reminding people that he is part WHITE.

I bet he's a bit alarmed that his election victory and thus his presidency is and will be made based on his race. It has already begun. The MSM is incessantly churning out this line of reporting. And the African-American community in the US and even continental africans professed their pride in that fact.

While that is not surprising, this fact can pose problems for his presidency.

Bear in mind he is the President of the US of A, a racial melting-pot country.

[Yve72]

I don't think he was playing down his race. Anybody in America who has paid the least bit of attention during this election cycle knows that he is bi-racial. Unfortunately some people see a tan and assume "black" and that assumption is also made by black folks. I remember when Tiger Woods got grief from blacks because he didn't want to be boxed into 1 ethnicity. That is residual slavery mentality. Its time to let that way thinking go.

I refer to myself as a "mutt" all the time. Heck, I'm a bigger "mutt" than either of them. I am African, White, Palestinian & Jewish and I love it. Only in America, right? LOL!

[exxman]

Has it occured to anyone he was just making a joke and nothing more?

[ness]

I think that Buj might have a point with this-- "I know Obama deliberately insert 'the "mutt" phrase. He is playing down his race, reminding people that he is part WHITE."

After all, look how the vast majority of people on this thread, and the one on Politico, and probably others that have predominately white readers, related in such a pleased, satisfied-­with-their­-new Pres-Elect's-humor way to the comment? Maybe he was purposefully telling white folks out there, "See, I am just like you!" And that would be a 100% beautiful thing if not for one problem-- to imply on national tv that it's acceptable, even delightfully humorous, to call a person of mixed white and *Black* ancestry a "mutt" or any other name that refers to a hybrid of 2 breeds of animal is a completely different thing than is implying that it is ok to call a person of mixed *white-only* ancestry a mutt. (Personally I think that's a little odd too...)

The difference lies in the historical context of the brutal racism that African Americans have experienced in the recent past, including those of part Black and part white parentage being called derogatory words like "mulatto," of which mutt is a very close relative.

All of the institutional racism in this country is still here despite the fact that we have given racism a big slap in the face by electing an AA, *biracial,* *human,* * non-hybrid* man as president.

[Cookie100]

When, arguing with comments made on the internet on different sites, white people, a lot of them are terrified of O!

I have African American, European, African, Chinese, Hawaiian, Japanese, and Ethiopian people in my family. It's a big and wonderful United Nations. Those are just the nationalities, their faiths are numerous.

This is a multi racial, multi ethnic country. By 2032, we white people will be THE MINORITY!!

Get used to it and get over it, or get out!!! But what ever you do, keep your racist comments to yourself, you're embarrassing the rest of us whites.

VIVA LA DIFFERENCE!!!!!

[shireenj]

Hey PRES .... you are so much not a mutt .... I AM! Pure white Australian born in a country that is home to the most gorgeous Aboriginal (ie native peoples... woo hoo! I have the joy of working with them!) oh dear!!!! Pres Elect .... you are so obviously of such PURE blood, I almost think you are a BRAT!!!!!For being so PERFECT!!!!
Nearly 80% of Aussies wanted you to succeed and we are SO HAPPY!!!!!
Not a person here that I have spoken to ( 100's) over days is not thrilled to the core and I live in the most "redneck" area imaginable!!!!!! Kinda equivalent to Alabama or (YUCCH!) TEXAS!!!!!
I left the 'States 10 years ago because I was exhausted with the idiocy ..........
BUT you guys are BACK!
THANK GOD people .... the rest of the world can breathe again .......