Posted: February 26, 2009, 4 p.m. EST
It’s all still up in the air for the Obama family and their new dog – the name, where it will come from, and, contrary to recent reports, what breed.
On Wednesday, it looked like the first family had made some important decisions regarding the future first dog.
Now, it turns out the choice is not clear. First Lady Michelle Obama said they will adopt a dog sometime in April, when the family returns from a vacation over spring break.
Her pick? The Portuguese Water Dog. That isn’t a final decision made by the entire family, though, according a new report in the Chicago Tribune.
In the latest development, Mrs. Obama’s press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said, “They have not selected a breed. Mrs. Obama likes the Portuguese Water Dog, but she is only one of four votes."
The “Labradoodle” might still have a shot at the White House after all. In the end, it will come down to picking a breed with the temperament and personality to match the busy lifestyle of a first family.
As for a name, the Obama girls have shared some ideas with their mother.
“Oh, the names are really bad,” Mrs. Obama said. “I don’t even want to mention it, because there are names floating around and they’re bad. You listen and you go – like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn’t a moose? Moose. I’m like, no, come on, let’s work with the names a little bit.”
One thing that seems definite is a spring arrival.
“So Sasha says, ‘April 1st.’ I said, ‘April.’ She says, ‘April 1st.’ It’s, like, April!,” Michelle says. “Got to do it after spring break. You can’t get a new dog and then go away for a week,” Mrs. Obama said.
- More about the search for the Obama dog -