Obama: "Girly Dog" Not For Our Family

In his interview with ABC's Barbara Walters, Barack Obama talked to her about her dog and his own puppy preferences. Politico reports that the host actually sent the Obama's a photo of her pet, but it doesn't seem to be the President-elect's type.

Obama: "Cha Cha?"

Barbara: "It's short for Cha Cha Cha."

O: "What is a Havanese?"

B: "It's like a little terrier and they're non-allergenic and they're the sweetest dogs.."

O: [Face suddenly changes.] "It's like a little yappy dog?"

Michelle: "Don't criticize."

O: "It, like, sits in your lap and things?"

M: "It's a cute dog."

O: "It sounds kinda like a girly dog."

M: "We're girls. We have a houseful of girls."

O [with hand gestures]: "We're going to have a big rambunctious dog, of some sort."

Read more excerpts and clips from the Barbara Walters interview.

Comments

[adamNsteve]

The man with the "girly legs" doesn't want a girly dog...... hmm.......

[waitforme]

RE: 'Girly' and 'mutt'.

Dear Mr. Obama, You are almost old enough to be my son, therefore I say, Hey, Sweetie, let's watch the disparaging language, OK? When you call something 'girly', as a pejorative, you disparage girls. I hate this 'word' (which isn't even in my dictionary) when Schwarzenegger uses it to refer to the California legislature (as: 'girly-girls'), and I hate it when I have heard it used (in movies) to refer to troops who aren't performing up to speed.
I sincerely hope you will consider retiring the word 'girly' from your vocabulary -- and, hey, you will be President! and will presumably have the power, actual power, to discourage sergeants and other military lording-it­-overseers from name-calling their trainees as 'girly'.

Feminine, 'The Feminine', part of each of us is important, and typically refers to the softer, more sustaining, intuitive, empathetic aspects of one's personality, male or female. I voted for you partly because you have these qualities -- respect them. Respect girls; your daughters will know it if you slip up even once, and take it personally.

(See next page for comments on 'Mutt'.)

And good luck in your job of putting together a government; I know it takes information, but also all of the feminine, intuitive smarts you can muster.

With all love and encouragement,
A grandma and family and trauma therapist

[Moderate Man805]

Obama wants a dog that voted yes on Prop 8

[waitforme]

This is a non sequitur, therefore, irrelevant. (And, if I get your meaning, which I don't, rude.)

[RockySoldier]

i'm with you, Mr. President. get a big, dopey, stumbling, slobbering man's dog!

[russwaters]

Not that he doesn't absolutely love his girls, he wants a boy around too. Barack should get a big, happy, boy puppy and let the girls get whatever puppy they want too.

[BILLDARROUGH]

UNO....UNO­....UNO!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[grotius106]

Safest choice....­..Black Lab.

[bibimimi]

Labradoodle!

[lynkim]

My husband said the exact same thing - - 8 years ago and 2 Maltese later.
It's the testosterone speaking..­..deep down they're all softies.

[spaghettidinner]

I don't understand dog culture. They seem like replacements for people in many cases. Furthermore, what amount of human potential is wasted waiting in the snow for some animal to go to the bathroom?

[RockySoldier]

raging against the machine during the holidays is unseemly.

you need a thorough, invasive, studied neurological examination. quickly. smiling isn't a criminal activity..­. yet.

[proudem]

Dogs are nature's most perfect creatures. I prefer them to most people.

[maryhaze]

probably less time than is wasted waiting for the local news after a stupid ball game has run on too long. & most of my rescue dogs are better humans than most people i know. kinder, more tolerant, less judgmental etc.......­....

[Horus45]

If you have never owned a dog of course you won't understand.
They truly are your best friend, they know your emotional state and respond accordingly.
Much more loyal than any human can be.

[kwestionauthority]

Please, please, please get a shelter dog or a rescue dog. You can find one in any breed if you look around a little, probably even a pup. It would be great for homeless dogs if you set an example and adopted one. The dog's appreciation will knock your socks off, in case you haven't experienced that, and people all over the world will love you even more, if that's imaginable.

[MarsAmbassador]

That picture says it all. Obama looks like he's made his mind up and that's all there is to that and Michelle looks like she's going to make him regret it. lol

As for the dog, there aren't a lot of big hypoallergenic breeds out there, but a Wheaten Terrier, Labradoodle or Golden Doodle would fit the bill of a big, rambunctious, hypoallergenic dog. Nothing wimpy about any one of those breeds, but they're still friendly and great family pets.

[maryhaze]

& labradoodles are very smart. mine was severely abused & has seen domestic violence so he's got some mental issues, but still a pretty smart dog. they can google breed rescues to get the dog they are looking for & still be helping a rescue. IMO german shepherds would be the best.

Aww come on guys. Is it just me that thinks having a German Shepherd in the White house would be funny?

Think of all the things our dogs have done over the years and what would happen on Pennsylvania Avenue.

1. The Rose Garden might not look too good after awhile.

2. Papparrazi would all be wearing running shoes and using them.

3. Instead of missing tapes we'd have missing files full of paper...an­d not due to shredding.

4. They'd have to raise the height of the tables for formal dinners. So the dog couldn't reach.

5. Air Force One would have to have a window that would open so that the dog could stick his head out.

6. Instead of having a black tie dinners it would be changed to Black and Tan tie dinners.

7. Whoever takes the call at three in the morning would have to interrupt the caller and say, "Shhhh, it's for me not you!"

8. Guess who's been eating off the Nancy Reagan china?

9. The secret service guys would have less work but would have to run much faster.

10. There'd be only feathers left at the duck pond.

[Ladyhawk1]

I suggest Basenjis. A few of those and the White House will never be the same. Send their puppies to all Republicans. This will keep the Republicans so busy with their own lives that they will leave the rest of us in peace.

Anybody out there ever own a wonderful beautiful Basenji? They are from Africa and are known as the bark-less dog. They are called sight hounds and in Africa are used for hunting. They are not like those dull everyday dogs that comes when called.

They are more like a cross between a cat, a monkey, and a terrible two year old, which make them totally adorable. They are the cleanest dog on earth. No shedding.

[Ladyhawk1]

By the way, they are great if raised with children and cats. They will be wary with strangers and yodel a warning when there is danger. Yep! That is what the Obama family needs…an unbiased and loyal guard dog….alway­s on duty protecting the family.

[roooth]

Bet you didn't know there is an American cousin of the Basenji and the Australian Dingo.
They are called American Dingos, or Carolina Dogs. http://www.carolinadogs.com/faq.html
I had no idea they even existed until we adopted a pup from a pet rescue. We thought we had a Golden Retreiver mix until one day, when he was about 4 mths old, one ear suddenly started standing straight up, followed shortly by the other ear. And he stopped growing long before a retreiver would have.
As he got bigger, he looked like he was part shepard, part wolf, part fox - and none of the above. But he was, hands down, the BEST dog I've ever had. Fastest trained, coolest dog EVER.
I started researching and found out that he is a Carolina dog, (called that because they still run wild in packs in the South, around the Carolinas, where a scientist noticed them and started testing their DNA).
They are called aboriginal dogs because they are actually an older genotype than more common domesticated dogs. They are more pack oriented, which makes them much more responsive to training. They are loyal family dogs and perfect with kids.
These are the dogs that were with the Indians when the settlers first arrived. "Old Yeller" was a Carolina dog. They are the only dog native to America,
But, mostly, they are just the coolest dogs ever. http://www.carolinadogbreeders.com/images/list/1919.jpg

[nick53]

yappin dogs are for republican­s.. obama goes for a barker... go bama www.spinwhip.com.obama :-)

[PSM42]

Cha Cha Cha - a dog ... or a sandwich filling?

[BannedInBoston]

O-o-o-o-o-o-o. Obama fight!