# Obama's Other Appointment **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288 "2008-11-05T16:36:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Booker\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@Happy\_Booker\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Booker_1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/1 "2008-11-05T16:36:57Z")
Yeah, he has to do the mundane stuff like filling his Cabinet, naming a Chief of Staff and starting a file of Scotus appointments, but he has a _really_ big job ahead of him. He has to buy the kids a puppy when they move to their new digs. What kind of dog fits into a young family in the White House? ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/2 "2008-11-05T16:40:03Z")
I really hope they pick out a mutt from a local animal shelter. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/3 "2008-11-05T16:41:39Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I really hope they pick out a mutt from a local animal shelter. Postin’ “me too,” like some brain-dead AOLer. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/4 "2008-11-05T16:43:33Z")
Perhaps he should get a moose, as a symbol of reaching across the aisle. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/5 "2008-11-05T16:45:47Z")
Pit bull. naw, just kiddin’. Anybody besides me think it’s freakin’ rude to the White House staff to do this? Maybe he asked first, but I can’t help but think there were a bunch of glassy-eyed smiles in D.C. last night… ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/6 "2008-11-05T17:16:16Z")
It’d be cool if foreign heads of state offered him puppies from their respective countries. Horst Kohler could send a dachshund, Hu Jintao could send a pug, Gordon Brown could send a bulldog, Felipe Calderon a chihuahua, whoever runs Canada could send a pupsicle… I kid, I kid our beloved neighbors to the north! How about a Canadian Eskimo dog? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/7 "2008-11-05T17:18:13Z")
[America has already chosen the poodle for the Obamas](http://www.akc.org/poll/special/presidential.cfm) Hopefully it’s a standard poodle and not one of those annoying tiny ones. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/8 "2008-11-05T17:22:21Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Anybody besides me think it’s freakin’ rude to the White House staff to do this? Haven’t there been plenty of First Dogs? Or do you mean the puppy-ish-ness? I vote for a beagle-ish dog, from a shelter. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/9 "2008-11-05T17:24:46Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Pit bull. > > naw, just kiddin’. > > Anybody besides me think it’s freakin’ rude to the White House staff to do this? Maybe he asked first, but I can’t help but think there were a bunch of glassy-eyed smiles in D.C. last night… He has a couple young children who’ve been wanting a puppy. He’s not the first parent to agree to getting a pet for their kids and in this case he probably feels they deserve a treat since their lives are going to change radically. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/10 "2008-11-05T17:26:53Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Pit bull. > > naw, just kiddin’. > > Anybody besides me think it’s freakin’ rude to the White House staff to do this? Maybe he asked first, but I can’t help but think there were a bunch of glassy-eyed smiles in D.C. last night… Do you seriously think the staff should get a veto? If so, why? I hate dogs, but I don’t think it’s rude. His kids are asked to live there; the staff of the White House Residence is employed to take care of the residence. Dogs in the White House are hardly unprecedented; both Presidents Clinton & Nixon had dogs. How can asking his future staff to DO THEIR JOBS be rude–and giving them a two-and-a-half month heads-up–be rude? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/11 "2008-11-05T19:51:30Z")
I was imagining the original conversation with his kids. Barack to the daughters: “Now you’re going to have to go through a lot with the media during the campaign and you’re not going to see me a lot. And if I win this thing, we’re going to have to move and the media attention will be worse. But if I win and you’re good, you can have a puppy.” ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/12 "2008-11-05T20:18:03Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [America has already chosen the poodle for the Obamas](http://www.akc.org/poll/special/presidential.cfm) > > Hopefully it’s a standard poodle and not one of those annoying tiny ones. Ech, no way. I’d be very disappointed if they wound up getting some ridiculous purebred, especially a freakin’ _poodle_. Who cares what the American Kennel Club thinks? One more vote for a rescue mutt. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/13 "2008-11-05T20:38:32Z")
My brother has two West Highland Terriers that are purebreds, but he got them from a Westie-specific rescue group (and I find the idea of breed-specific rescue groups hilarious for some reason). So if you want, you can have both a purebred and a rescued animal. The only problem is that both dogs came with their own problems. One tends to piddle when she’s nervous but I can’t remember the other’s problems. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/14 "2008-11-05T20:46:51Z")
One of the daughters has allergies that complicate matters. A rescued mutt, as much as I love mine, isn’t going to be reliably allergy-friendly. I voted for the wheaten, but I’ve never met a bad standard poodle except for the stupid haircuts. I’m sure the Obamas can choose for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/15 "2008-11-05T20:48:01Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I really hope they pick out a mutt from a local animal shelter. I’d love that, too, to be honest. Whatever they choose, I’m sure the first consideration is going to be what’s most appropriate for their little girls. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/16 "2008-11-05T23:09:34Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Do you seriously think the staff should get a veto? If so, why? > > I hate dogs, but I don’t think it’s rude. His kids are asked to live there; the staff of the White House Residence is employed to take care of the residence. Dogs in the White House are hardly unprecedented; both Presidents Clinton & Nixon had dogs. How can asking his future staff to DO THEIR JOBS be rude–and giving them a two-and-a-half month heads-up–be rude? Not to mention the current president - Bush has two. The White House staff has been dealing with dogs there for the past 16 years. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/17 "2008-11-05T23:10:28Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > Not to mention the current president - Bush has two. The White House staff has been dealing with dogs there for the past 16 years. I thought President Bush had dogs as well, but I wasn’t certain and was too lazy to check. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/18 "2008-11-05T23:18:12Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I thought President Bush had dogs as well, but I wasn’t certain and was too lazy to check. You’d actually have to go all the way back to [McKinley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Presidential_pets) before finding a president who _didn’t_ own a dog. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/19 "2008-11-06T02:14:27Z")
I think they should get a female dog and name her Maverick. “You’re my bitch now, Maverick!” ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288/20 "2008-11-06T02:25:08Z")
I love you, **Green Bean**! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-other-appointment/471288.md?page=2)