President-Elect Barack Obama: Picking White House Pet ‘A Major Issue'

In his first press conference as President elect, Barack Obama tackled one of the issues that captured America’s attention during his victory speech earlier in the week – the selection of a First Dog.

During his speech in Chicago’s Grant Park on Tuesday night, Obama told his children, Malia and Sasha, they had earned a new puppy and the family would be bringing one to the White House. And, during his first press conference on Friday afternoon, Obama fleshed out his pet plans.

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“With respect to the dog, this is a major issue,” Obama told the press corps with a smile. “I think it’s generated more interest on our Web site than just about anything.”

The President elect said his family has several conditions that have to be met in order to secure a dog fit for the White House.

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“We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One, is that Malia is allergic so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic,” he said. “On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts — like me. So whether we’re going to be able to balance these two things I think is a pressing issue in the Obama household.”

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