Who Will Be Top Dog?
Field narrows for the position of Canine-in-Chief
Make a promise to Sasha and Malia Obama and they'll hold you to it. Just ask their dad—the President-elect.
He told them two months ago that they could have a dog when they moved to the White House. The Obama sisters were still waiting and couldn't wait any longer. So they sought help. The host of ABC-TV's This Week agreed to assist them in getting an answer from President-elect Barack Obama about a pooch.
At the end of his interview of Obama on Sunday, host George Stephanopoulos put the President-elect on the "hot seat."
"[Sasha and Malia] actually gave me a question they want me to ask you," Stephanopoulos said.
"Uh-oh. Go ahead," Obama replied.
"What kind of dog are we getting and when are we getting it?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"They seem to have narrowed it down to a Labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound," Obama said with a smile and then confessed. "So, we're now going to start looking at shelters to see when one of those dogs might come up."
The Labradoodle is a mixed breed dog, a cross between a yellow or black Labrador and a standard Poodle. The breed has been around only since the 1980s. It was bred to be a good companion.
The Portuguese water dog is "an athletic, active breed, that requires daily vigorous exercise," according to the American Kennel Club. The curly-haired canine is "very intelligent and responds well to obedience training."
The Obamas have faced one particular challenge in their dog hunt: finding a canine that won't trigger Malia's allergies. Both the Labradoodle and the Portuguese water dog are considered good choices for people with allergies because neither one is a heavy shedder.
As the first family continues their search for the top dog, the sisters are settling into a daily routine in their new hometown. Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, began classes at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., last week. The sisters are also preparing to stand beside their dad as he is sworn-in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20.
You'll be able to watch the historic swearing-in ceremony on most local television stations.
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Read today’s story and answer the following question.
 | What kind of dog do you think the Obamas should get when they move into the White House? Why? Tell us what you think on the Scholastic News Online Blog! | |
Scholastic Kid Reporters will be covering the Inauguration from Washington, D.C., next week. Get the kid's-eye-view on the historic swearing-in of the 44th President in this special report.
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