In his acceptance speech, president-elect Barack Obama addressed one line to his daughters -- Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10.

"I love you both more than you can imagine," he said. "You've earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the White House."

First half of speech.

Second half of speech.

By Wednesday morning, the Obamas were flooded with advice on how to choose the First Dog.

Because Malia has allergies, the Obamas are limited in their choice of breed. The American Kennel Club suggested they get a poodle. Animal-welfare groups, including PETA, urged the family to adopt a shelter dog.

The Obama girls are leaning toward a "Goldendoodle," a golden retriever /poodle mix.

Pets are not new to the White House. President Johnson had two Beagles -- Him and Her. The Reagans briefly had a Bouvier des Flandres named Lucky and, later, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel -- Rex. The Fords had a golden retriever named Liberty. The first Bush admistration had mother-and-son Springer Spaniels -- Millie and Ranger. The Clintons had a Chocolate Lab named Buddy and a cat named Sox.

Currently, two Scottish Terriers make the White House their home -- Barney and Miz Beazley. Barney got himself into a bit of trouble this week, taking a bite out of a reporter.

Kids are passioniate about their pets. Ask your students to recommend a good pet for Sasha and Malia. They can draw a picture and write a brief letter explaining why they think their choice would be the perfect White House pet.

Send me their best work and I'll print it here or post it yourself under "comments."

 Tags  dog first dog Obama pets White House

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