The Obama Family's First Dog

The promise of a new puppy can be all consuming for kids and families. I know, as a child I begged my parents for years to get a dog. Walking neighbors' dogs every chance I got, with the help of my two sisters, we finally wore them down. We got our first dog, a dachshund that we named Lynus, on my 9th birthday. His registered name was Fritz's Revenge, after the Red Barron. Snoopy was very popular at the time and we had wanted a beagle, but there were no puppies to be had in the newspaper the weekend we took the plunge. Finally, the day had come and there was no stopping us! We got a puppy from the first and only breeder we visited. Here's a picture I took of my sisters, Denise and Gaile with Lynus. I've got my dad looking for a picture of me holding him as a tiny puppy which I'll post here when I get it.


The soon to be First Family seems to be going about this in a more methodical, less haphazard fashion. Barrack Obama said they have two criteria to address. One is that Malia is allergic, so the new pet has to be hypoallergenic. The other is that the family prefers adopting from a rescue shelter rather than a breeder. As an animal lover and organization supporter, I think this is so nice because it raises public awareness and will set a good example for others.



My sister, Denise also has major animal allergies and has found allergy relief with a hypoallergenic breed. Pictured here are photos she took of her young Welsh Terrier, Augie.

See Denise's photography here.

See a list of hypoallergenic pooches here. "Daddy gets the Oval Office and Malia and Sasha get a puppy"