A Puppy for the Obamas?

I hope the future First Family will chose either a rescue dog OR a purebred – NOT a “designer breed,” like a Golden-Doodle. Here’s why. Designer mixes like Golden-doodles and Labra-doodles can be great pets, but their popularity is what is fueling puppy mills. Puppy mills are places that turn out masses of puppies without regard for their health, their mothers’ health, or the happiness of their future owners. They do this for one reason: to make money. There’s no guarantee that one of these designer puppies won’t in fact shed as an adult, won’t have some huge health problem, or a personality defect, but regardless, no one expects one of these animals to have “papers,” and they pay high prices for them anyway because they are in vogue.
Reputable breeders, most of whom belong to the AKC, have long been trying to put puppy mills out of business. It has become more and more difficult to get the kind of AKC pedigree papers that are needed if one intends eventually to breed a puppy. For this reason, puppy mill owners have turned to designer breeds, short-circuiting the need for AKC papers. Of course shelter puppies are wonderful. The best dogs in the world come from shelters. The problem is, when you’re looking for a puppy rather than an adult dog, it’s hard to know just what you’re getting at a shelter. How big will the puppy get? Will he shed? What about her temperament? And so on. That's how it is for most people, but the Obama family will get all the expert help in the world in finding just the right, hypoallergenic mut, if that's what they want. Otherwise, I'd vote for a Standard Poodle.

Why a Standard Poodle in the White House?
• Great sense of humor. They are jokers, which is the main reason they don’t make good seeing-eye dogs.
• Love kids and always want to play.
• Apt to like media attention. Enjoy being on display. Not at all likely to bite reporters.
• Don’t shed. Are often suitable for people allergic to animals.
• Very smart. Easily trained. Are appropriate for historic sites as they can be trained where NOT to go.
• Not barkers. Generally quiet and friendly.
• Forgiving: when humans make mistakes, like stepping on a paw, losing temper, forgetting to feed, the poodle rarely carries a grudge.
• This choice would show that you’re not afraid of looking unfashionable.

Why NOT a Standard Poodle in the White House?
• When you need a companion who will reflect your sorriest mood, the poodle will not do. Because they are goof-balls, they can be somewhat unpredictable. They don’t always act according to script and might be considered too “mavericky.” They are not ideal in assisting handicapped people.
• When you don’t want to play, the poodle may be a bother. They are a high energy breed – for up to an hour – and then they head for the couch.
• You may get upstaged by your poodle.
• You’ll need to get the poodle clipped occasionally (the hair never stops growing), though there’s no justification for pom-poms.
• Poodles are often smarter than their people.
• Not great guard dogs, though are often protective of children.
• Despite their reputation, they are not snobs. They usually like everyone, and you may not want a dog who is quite so democratic.
• A lot of prejudice against this breed, so if you care about looking fashionable, you’ll probably not want to chose this one.
– Mr. Darcy

Thanks for your thoughtful post; you've got lots of good points here for anyone considering a new dog for their family!