The paw stops here

What furry friends cuddle up to the candidates? Well, McCain has a houseful, but Obama may need your help

By Becky Jones, Special to the Rocky

Published June 12, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

Text size  

• 3 Comments
• Email
• Print

Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia, top right, and Sasha arrive in Indianapolis. The girls will get a pet.

Johnmccain.Com

John McCain and his wife, Cindy, pose with two of their dogs. The couple have accumulated a menagerie of pets.

Humane Society of Boulder Valley

Turk

Humane Society of Boulder Valley

Pinky

Denver Dumb Friends League

America

Denver Dumb Friends League

Denver

Denver Dumb Friends League

D.C.

Denver Dumb Friends League

Stripes

Denver Dumb Friends League

Stars

Presidential campaigns are sometimes cast in terms of dogfights, a comparison that doesn't do justice to the canine nature. In truth, dogs seldom fight unless placed in situations that bring out fear or other unsettling feelings.

But candidates' taste in dogs, or other pets, can provide voters insight into their natures. Both political parties are now settled on their nominees, but the pet picture remains murky.

Here's where things stand and a proposal for clearing things up.

Arizona senator, wife have a veritable zoo

The Arizona senator has more pets than any other presidential candidate, according to The Associated Press, which surveyed all the candidates back when the race was young. The McCain menagerie includes Sam, an English springer spaniel; Coco, a mutt; two Yorkshire terriers, Lucy and Desi, purchased by Cindy McCain when she was grieving her empty nest after the couple's oldest daughter graduated from college; Oreo, a black-and-white cat; turtles Cuff and Link; a ferret, three parakeets and 13 saltwater fish. By our count, that's at least two dozen critters. And in the past, the McCains have reportedly adopted guinea pigs, snakes and an iguana that was trained to walk on a leash.

Win or lose, Obama family to get a pet

The Illinois senator has no pets . . . yet. But his wife, Michelle, revealed that getting a dog was their major bargaining chip in winning over the support of their two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, for the presidential run. The Obamas have promised their girls that a dog will join the family at the conclusion of the election, win or lose. And Michelle Obama has acknowledged that the coming pet - what kind, big or small, what its name will be - is sometimes all the family talks about.

Since the Obama family doesn't have a lot of experience with pets, and because whichever animal they adopt after the election could well become the nation's "First Pet," the Rocky thought we'd do our part in finding a suitable candidate.

Both the Denver Dumb Friends League and the Humane Society of Boulder Valley have software programs that help match potential adoptive families with adoptable animals in their shelters. Potential adopters answer questions about family size, children, lifestyle, home accommodations, etc., and the software weighs all those factors to steer folks to the kind of pet that might suit them best

Obviously, the Obamas shouldn't adopt just on our say-so. As with any potential adoption, family members ought to meet a potential new pet before making any decisions, to make sure the right chemistry is there. And there may be things about the Obama family situation that we don't know.

But based on what we do know, we asked staff at the two animals shelters to analyze the Obama family's pertinent pet-related details and find some suitable candidates among their shelter residents.

Here's what we know: The family consists of two parents and two young children, ages 6 and 9. They have no current pets. There's a 5 0/50 chance they'll soon be moving into a BIG house, and yes, the yard is definitely fenced (and monitored by round-the-clock security). It's a busy household, with lots of strangers coming and going, and there's almost certainly always going to be someone there to give the dog a walk. Given the number of antiques in the house, chewing is a big no-no.

Picking a pet for the Obamas

From the Humane Society of Boulder Valley

* Turk, a male mixed breed Australian cattle dog, 11/2 years old. "Turk is a goofball," says Lisa Pedersen, CEO of the shelter. "Goofball" is a class of dogs with certain characteristics on the ASPCA's "canine-ality" test. The goofball is a fun-loving, happy-all-the-time kind of dog who loves to play around and requires an ample supply of tennis balls. "Living in the White House, you'd need a social dog, one that responds well to praise and is easy to train," Pedersen says. Turk fills the bill.

* Pinkie, a female Australian cattle dog/Siberian husky mix, also 11/2 years old. On the canine-ality test, Pinkie is a "busy bee," meaning she is naturally playful, curious and trusting. But she needs a job to do. Only after her day's work is done will she curl up in the evenings and relax. She's a dog on a mission. "I think you'd have to have good manners in the White House, which Pinkie certainly does," Pedersen says.

From the Denver Dumb Friends League

* America, an 8-month-old female beagle mix. "She's a fun and lovable socialite who would be at home entertaining the press corps," says shelter spokeswoman Dayna Reggero.

* Denver, a 1-year-old female Labrador retriever mix. Given Denver's youth and breed, she would make an energetic companion to the Obama girls and would appreciate the room to romp that the north lawn of the White House could afford.

* D.C., a 1-year-old neutered male Chihuahua mix. "A Chihuahua is a good traveling dog," Reggero says. "D.C. is a cuddly sidekick who can sassily travel on Air Force One."

* Stars and Stripes, a pair of cats (Demo-cats?) that would make great family companions should the Obamas decide not to get a dog or, better still, to really diversify the family and bring in canines and felines.

Stars is a 1-year-old tortoise shell domestic long-hair cat, a spayed female, with a star on her forehead. Stripes is a 2-year-old neutered male brown tabby domestic shorthair with handsome stripes. Both are great with children and dogs, and both are cuddlers who could help reduce stress levels - an important White House consideration.

Presidential menagerie

Some exotic critters that have called the White House home.

* John Quincy Adams: silkworms.

* Abraham Lincoln: Ponies belonging to Tad and Willy Lincoln; Nanny and Nanko, goats; Fido, a dog, and Jack the Turkey.

* Herbert Hoover: an opossum.

* Calvin Coolidge: Rebecca, a raccoon that walked on a leash.

• June 12, 2008

  4:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Jim writes:

  Harry S Truman,
  
  "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

• June 12, 2008

  8:28 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  AnAngelDisgraced writes:

  awww I wish we could have a dog in our condo, I want America, she is sooooo cute!!

• June 12, 2008

  8:46 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  temurlan writes:

  AnAngelDisgraced, I agree. I grew up with a beagle just like that. She was so sweet.

  I hope they don't get a pet just to complete another item on the campaign checklist. If they do, they should name it "Change". That way at least there will actually be something substansive behind the word when he keeps using it.

  "I'm for Change"

  "The Obama's love Change"

  "Michele, go walk Change"

  "Change! No! Bad Change"

Featured

• 2008 Voter’s Guide

  

  Use our Ballot Builder tool to compare your viewpoints to the candidates.

• A Dozen on Denver

  

  Sandra Dallas wrote 'Lennie's tavern' for our ongoing fiction series. Check it out!

• Rocky Multimedia

  

  The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on today's events.

• Bronco Dean's rant

  

  Listen to Bronco Dean's totally biased pregame rant about the Broncos-Jaguars game.

• Presidential Elections

  

  See how Colorado counties have voted through the years.

• County election profiles

  

  A look at how residents in each Colorado county may vote.

• A dream fulfilled

  

  A Rocky Mountain News and MediaStorm production

• Latest from Dove Valley

  

  Click for more broncos videos.

• Sam Adams' Open Mic

  

  No. 44 means a lot to Floyd Little