Obamas Should Adopt a Poodle, or Maybe a ShihTzu, or a Maltese, or...

Michelle and Barack Obama’s young daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha, apparently have talked them into getting the family’s first dog.

It’s an important decision, and with all the attention the Obama family gets these days it’s sparked much talk among dog lovers. Voters in an AKC poll picked the Poodle as the best breed for the presidential family. Michelle Obama said recently that the Obama family dog will come from a shelter.

Certainly, the Obama girls will want a dog who tolerates cuddling and very likely the occasional costume. Their dog should be unconditionally friendly, but calm, and because the girls have allergy issues, the dog needs to be non-shedding.

Among the larger breeds, a Standard Poodle would fit that bill nicely, as would a Maltese or Shih Tzu among the smaller breeds. While many AKC voters favored an Obama Wheaten Terrier and the Wheaten is my favorite breed (I have two), I think they might be too high-energy for a family’s first dog (even a First Family’s First Dog!).

Wheatens settle nicely after several years but they never, at least in my experience, lose interest in vigorously licking any face near them, racing off at the first sign of a cat or squirrel, or digging holes in the flower bed in search of elusive rodents.

I’ve fostered and known many rescue dogs over the years and if I could hand-pick a dog for the Obamas I would pick Cole, a regal, kind and patient Standard Poodle I once knew, or Merv, a people-loving, lap-seeking, low-shedding Dachshund-Silky Terrier cross.

Both had been abused. Cole was missing part of a hind paw -- the veterinarian said it looked like he had been caught in a wild animal trap -- while Merv was so matted and emaciated he resembled an invalid Cousin It from the old TV show The Addams Family.

Cole and Merv, both with such tragic beginnings, thrived and grew healthy to become the center of the families who eventually adopted them. There’s no telling how many people, after meeting Cole and Merv, decided to adopt a dog from a shelter, where many dogs that shed very little can be found.

Think how many Coles and Mervs in our country will be saved if a family as high-profile as the Obamas adopt a rescue dog.