Time to elect first dog
PUPPY POLLS | Everyone trying to fill Obamas' dog house
It has an emaciated face that only its mother could love -- grudgingly.
It's completely bald, except for a few unruly tufts of hair.
(AP)
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Presidential pets
And yet, the hairless Chinese Crested might be the perfect pooch for President-elect Obama and his family.
"Certain to turn heads," this dog is "exceptionally loving and affectionate with children," says the American Kennel Club, which included the Chinese Crested among five recommended breeds for the Obamas. The Kennel Club chose breeds that would be best for Malia, who has asthma.
But how does someone cuddle up with a dog that has no fur?
"I've held many Chinese Crested dogs," said Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. "It's a very different experience. They give off a radiant heat. You feel it because there is no fur in the way."
And there's an added bonus: They're great hunters. Historically, African sailors would use them as "ratters" to catch vermin, Peterson said.
As President-elect Obama follows through on his promise to his kids to bring a puppy to the White House, he might also consider the results of an AKC public poll, which selected the poodle as the perfect dog for the Obamas.
"They are highly versatile," Peterson said of the poodle. "They can do so many things. They are a hunting companion, a family companion. They can play ball on the White House front lawn."
But doesn't it take a lot of work to maintain those fluffy pom pons?
"It doesn't have to be the show clip, with the pom pons," Peterson said. "It can be a nice puppy clip -- a shorter clip."
Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about the kind of puppy the Obamas need.
Suzanne Morris, a California breeder, wants the Obamas to have one of her $800 pedigree Labrador retriever puppies -- for free.
"It's a very, very mellow [dog] and easy with children," Morris said. "They would never turn on a child. . . . With a Labrador, a baby could be crawling all over the dog, and it could be ripping on its ears, and [the dog] would just move away."
Paula Fasseas, founder of PAWS Chicago, hopes the Obamas pick a shelter pup.
"I envision a wonderful shelter dog -- a mixed breed that's hypoallergenic . . .," Fasseas said. "Not too big, not too little. Something nice for the girls to really play with."