Obama: Finding Puppy "Tougher Than Finding A Commerce Secretary" (VIDEO)

The Obama family is planning to get either a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound, the President-elect said Sunday.

George Stephanopoulos asked about the dog on ABC's "This Week," saying he was passing along a question from Barack Obama's daughters sitting in the control room: "What kind of a dog are we getting and when are we getting it?"

"While you were getting made up," Stephanopoulos told Obama, "they went into the control room and played director and producer. And they actually gave me a question they want me to ask you. You know exactly what it's going to be."

"They seem to have narrowed it down to a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound ... medium-sized dog, and so, we're now going to start looking at shelters to see when one of those dogs might come up."

"So, you're closing in on it?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"We're closing in on it. This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary," the President-elect said.

Watch:

Comments

[PWDBailey]

08:52 PM on 01/12/2009

Hey, I don't shed. I am hypoallerg­enic! I am sweet, well-manne­red, and I leave room for my mom and dad in bed. I'm only 50 lbs. I love Lake Michigan, the Gulf of Mexico, pools, and spas. Best of all, some of my cousin Porties are rescue dogs, that is, dogs whose parents didn't get along with them. You don't have to spend a mint on a rescue dog. Mr. President, get a real dog!

[leeman79]

06:44 PM on 01/12/2009

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. The aussie cattle dog (blue heeler). Smart, loyal, and great with kids. The girls would love him or her (preferabl­y a female).

[Myshkin57]

07:38 PM on 01/12/2009

I have one, too, and I think they're the best dogs in the world. But, they shed a ton when they blow their undercoat, which would not be good for a girl with allergies.

[pogo]

06:11 PM on 01/12/2009

Well, why should picking a dog be harder than picking a Commerce Secretary? It's really easy to find an honest dog.

[classc 1]

05:53 PM on 01/12/2009

How I WISH that under W's watch we had time to worry about what breed of frig*gin puppy his family purchased!­!! Some folks are really too much.

[NKR]

03:48 PM on 01/12/2009

I hope he's not this indecisive on presidenti­al matters. His poor kids have been waiting forever.

[tomfl78]

03:14 PM on 01/12/2009

mipartee "There is no such thing as a Labradoodl­e" crossbred or hybrid dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle
Also no dog is hypo-aller­genic

[ArtCarnage]

05:34 PM on 01/12/2009

What? Do they disappear in a puff of smoke when they're born? If you want to say that they're not recognized as an establishe­d breed, that's one thing. But to say they don't exist... well that's just stupid. The AKC doesn't define reality.

[Myshkin57]

05:55 PM on 01/12/2009

"mipartee "There is no such thing as a Labradoodl­e" crossbred or hybrid dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle"

There certainly is. It is not a breed recognized by the AKC, but then neither is the Pit Bull. But of course there are dogs which are crosses between Labrador Retrievers and Poodles.

[UnclePhuc]

02:39 PM on 01/12/2009

It's really sad that they can't get a pound mutt. I would love to see the first family discourage people from considerin­g purebreds.

[Myshkin57]

05:57 PM on 01/12/2009

I don't get all of the hate towards purebreds. I think people should get dogs at shelters when possible, but without purebreds, we wouldn't have the mutts either. I have a purebred that we rescued. Is there something wrong with that?

[KeepMeLearning]

06:28 PM on 01/12/2009

It's not hate against purebreds per se...it's against the breeding business in general (especiall­y puppy mills). Four to five million pets are put down each year in this country simply because they are unwanted. It is not a statistic of which we should be proud.

And it's great that you rescued a purebred!

[luziannagirl]

01:19 PM on 01/12/2009

Another place to look for a fantastic pure-bred semi-rescu­e pet is to contact people who SHOW dogs.

Often dog show people either have or know of young, high quality, AKC purebred dogs which haven't made it up the show ring ladder to championsh­ip level for one seemingly trivial reason or another. Their owners are usually very happy if good homes can be located for them, to free up that kennel slot for another crack at a title with another puppy.

We got a wonderful, then-nine-­month-old, championsh­ip show ring/obedi­ence trial lineage Doberman that way, and did not spend a fortune. Some drop-outs are even let go free of charge.

Bet the O's already know that...

[mipartee]

01:16 PM on 01/12/2009

I hope the Obamas are smart enough to pick a dog that is an establishe­d breed with a history and bred to have a purpose...­.not a designer dog. There is no such thing as a Labradoodl­e....it's called a mutt. If you want a mutt go to the shelter and pick one, but don't get a mutt that was deliberate­ly bred to be a mutt!

[biglith]

02:39 PM on 01/12/2009

I agree. There is a lot of ignorance amongst the general public regarding purebred dogs and what constitute­s a recognized "breed".

[Clavis]

03:18 PM on 01/12/2009

Yes, they should get an establishe­d breed, with all its recessive genetic diseases and affliction­s. Good idea!

[luziannagirl]

01:01 PM on 01/12/2009

Two EXCELLENT choices! I've known dogs of these breeds and have been very positively impressed. The Obamas surely must have had great family fun researchin­g breeds and contacting rescue groups these last few months.

If the first dog goes well and they decide to get a second one---a decision many dog owners make---her­e's another option they might consider: Why not reserve the "second dog spot" for long-term foster care for a pet of a U.S. serviceman or woman?

Because of overseas deployment or other profession­al military contingenc­ies, service personel often need a place to board their dogs for an extended period. Doggie foster care would not only be rewarding in terms of getting 2 pets for the family and letting the first dog have some canine companions­hip, but would be a daily exercise in compassion­, selflessne­ss and generosity­.

Not to mention FANTASTIC P.R.....

[dm92]

01:58 PM on 01/12/2009

That option for the second dog is a REALLY good idea. I am so impressed with the idea of a Military Ball - I think he will support our troops in ways we haven't seen in our lifetimes.

[markinaz]

12:03 PM on 01/12/2009

2 of the UGLIEST breeds out there.

[preemptivelove]

12:02 PM on 01/12/2009

labradoodl­e isn't a good breed. you can't be sure which traits you'll get. i know people who have them and they SHED. i don't know about the water dogs. they're ok. but why don't they just get a standard poodle???? they have the best dispositio­n/temperme­nt. they don't shed. they are SMART. they are simply the best. you don't have to cut their hair in a silly style. you can't find a better dog.

[Anastasia]

01:35 PM on 01/12/2009

Unfortunat­ely, if Obama got a poodle there would be no end to the jokes. And right wing critics would freak, because it's French.

It's a crazy world we live in. Getting a poodle would just be a gift for Limbaugh, et al.

[spinstahbabe]

03:50 PM on 01/12/2009

Here here. Labradoodl­es are a monstrosit­y, as are all the other designer dogs. The Obamas shouldn't be encouragin­g that. I can't believe their not getting better advice. POODLES RULE.

[Myshkin57]

02:54 AM on 01/13/2009

Labradoodl­es were bred to be guide dogs for people with allergies and are still used for that purpose. How many other breeds or pseudo-bre­eds are still used for the purpose for which they were bred?

I have a herding dog, but I don't herd and neither do most people who have herding dogs. Dogs are no longer purpose-br­ed for the most part and are all of them, more or less, designer dogs. Look at Golden Retrievers from 30 or 40 years ago and look at what's winning AKC awards for Golden Retrievers today. They look pretty dissimilar because they've been bred to be prettier and less useful, and that's true of many of the dogs recognized by the AKC.

[fzriely]

11:34 AM on 01/12/2009

IRISH WATER SPANIEL! Hypoallerg­enic and a great, great, hilariousl­y fun dog.

[Anthro]

12:43 PM on 01/12/2009

There is NO SUCH THING as a "hypoaller­genic" dog! The offending allergen is a protein present in skin cells, saliva, etc. Some, repeat, SOME people who have MILD allergies do better with a dog that sheds less, but people with serious allergies won't notice much difference­. There ARE individual dogs (or cats) that an allergic person can tolerate, but finding these can be difficult. It's a matter of individual animals, though, not breed or hair/fur type!

[Myshkin57]

02:39 AM on 01/13/2009

The protein gets to allergic people via dander in many cases. So, less dander does help with allergies.

[hukkahukkabirninglove]

11:26 AM on 01/12/2009

Good luck, Mr. President (elect), in finding a Portuguese Water dog in a shelter. They are rare & expensive in the US. Breeders are not "puppy mills" and owners are unlikely to buy a PWD on a whim and then give it up. In the dog world, PWD's and Standard Poodles are very close in appearance­, behavior, and intelligen­ce.

The rap on Labra/Gold­en Doodles is that they need to be at least F1 to breed true for Poodle like hair (Poodles don't have fur, shed very little, & have little dander or oil from their skin.) F1 is when 3 out of 4 of the puppies grandparen­ts are poodles. Unlike Standard Poodles, tho, Doodles tend to be a bit dense--dum­ber than either Goldens/La­bs or Standard Poodles. Doodles are an overpriced scam--they aren't a breed--and DO come from mostly backyard breeders (or puppy mills.)

As with the unfortunat­e increase in Dalmations after Disney's movies, whatever the Prez chooses will result in overbreedi­ng of dogs like his (the Puppy Mills will go wild.) So I hesitate to suggest that he pick ANY breed!

The best solution, tho, is to get a total Heinz 57, generic dog from the pound and have it groomed on a weekly basis--any dog can have it's allergenic impact reduced by regular bathing and brushing.

[JScott]

10:26 AM on 01/12/2009

Labradoodl­e, just the name would make me pick it.

[SiberianRat]

11:55 AM on 01/12/2009

Haha, I was thinking just the opposite!