Pete Wentz endorses the Portuguese Water Dog

 

When it comes to politics, endorsements can be very important. The Portuguese Water Dog got one from rocker Pete Wentz, who gave two thumbs up to the breed that will likely become the Obama dog in the spring.

Wentz, the bassist for Fall Out Boy, told MTV News that he grew up with PWDs and that his parents own two of them, Marley and Pandora. In an interview with People magazine this week, First Lady Michelle Obama said it looks like the family will try to rescue one for daughters Malia and Sasha.

It’s likely the Obamas will listen to Wentz, who now owns a couple of English Bulldogs with wife Ashlee Simpson. He appeared at fundraisers for the president during the campaign and performed at the presidential inauguration. So he’s got some pull.

"I know I am right on the verge of being invited to the Lincoln bedroom with all of my glorious connections to the president,” Wentz wrote to MTV News, “but I think the final step may be me giving the Obamas advice on getting Portuguese Water Dogs. I grew up with two ... They were great dogs for the boy I was, being that I barfed from swinging on swing sets, cried at my first 10 birthdays, wouldn't eat anything but the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches my mom made and was allergic to everything. They were the perfect answer to that."

Since Malia has allergies, the PWD is considered a safe breed, although no dog is considered truly hypoallergenic.

First Dog, meet Michael Vick

I read this morning that Michael Vick could be released as early as May 21 to finish the remainder of his sentence at home. I’m not ready. The only good news in this is that perhaps it could inspire a new line of toys for the new Obama dog -- the homecomings for Vick and the rescued Portuguese Water Dog are roughly around the same time. As of today, poll numbers show Barack’s basketball shoes as the leading toy of choice for the new pup. I’ve got another suggestion: Michael’s gym shorts (while on). Write-in vote, anyone?

First dog coming in April

OK, so we finally have an update on the soon-to-be First Dog.

Michelle Obama tells People magazine in its upcoming cover story that the frontrunner is a Portuguese Water Dog and it will probably be purchased in April. But it has to be one that’s “old enough” and is a “match” for the Obama family, she said.

"Temperamentally, they're supposed to be pretty good," the First Lady said of the breed. "From the size perspective, they're sort of middle of the road – it's not small, but it's not a huge dog. And the folks that we know who own them have raved about them. So that's where we're leaning.”

One more thing: They haven’t decided on a name (so keep voting in our poll), but some suggestions from daughters Malia and Sasha are a bit odd.

“Oh, the names are really bad. I don't even want to mention it, because there are names floating around and they're bad," Mrs. Obama said. “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.”

The magazine hits newsstands Friday.

A doghouse for the White House

Whether they know it or not, the Obamas already have a new doghouse (but still no dog).

A company called Sustainable Pet Design in Los Angeles says it has created a dog home for the First Dog featuring a green roof, recycled wood from naturally felled trees and eco-friendly paint. Singer Neil Young is ready to deliver the new doghouse to the White House in his all-electric 1959 Lincoln – at least that’s what the company says in its literature.

If the Obamas want, their new dog’s new digs can be retrofitted with solar panels, radiant floor heating and a graywater recycling system – although we’re not sure the most important dog in the free world should be drinking graywater. Yuck.

Sustainable Pet Designed has named the house “Summa Canum,” Latin for “top dog.” But we figure the President and his kids would just call it a doghouse.

Get out the vote – for Obama’s dog

It's been a few months since you've exercised your right, right? Don't let your voting muscle get flabby. The announcement of a new First Dog could come any day now, so when that lucky pup sets paw on the White House lawn, the Obamas should be ready to name, train, even outfit him or her with the perfect collar. Help them decide by casting your vote below on everything from the new pup’s name to who should walk him.

Malia, Sasha will walk the dog

Just when I was wondering why we hadn’t heard a word about Obama daughters Malia and Sasha, I came across this story in the New York Times.

All is well with the girls, their mother said. They make their own beds, clean their own rooms and get themselves ready for school in the morning – just like normal kids.

And what about a dog? Any news on that front?

Well, all we found out was this: They’ll be responsible for walking their new pet and picking up its poop.

“That was the first thing I said to some of the staff when I did my visit,” First Lady Michelle Obama told ABC News, describing her talks with White House employees. “Don’t make their beds. Make mine. Skip the kids. They have to learn these things.”

Politics, puppies, and the repo-man

I’m guessing he doesn’t have time for much late-night TV these days, but I hope President Obama caught comedian Jake Johannsen on Letterman last Friday. Johannsen managed to tie the nation’s current financial woes to purchasing a puppy. You know the economy’s in trouble, he says (and I'm paraphrasing here), when the local pet store is having a sale on puppies -- and offering financing for those who can’t afford to buy one. He then matter-of-factly adds, “If you’re financing your puppy, you have problems a puppy is not going to solve.” A funny bit.

An even better idea? Rescue a dog or puppy. No financing needed.  Mr. Obama, hope you’re still tuned in…

A slideshow of Presidential pets

If you haven't checked out the White House Web site, I found a cool slideshow of pets who have lived or visited there. They include President Kennedy and his children John and Caroline with their new pony, Macaroni; Amy Carter (President Carter's daughter) holding her cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang; and President George H.W. Bush walking across the White House lawn with Springer Spaniel Millie and her new litter.

Can't wait to see a photo of President Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, with the Obama dog.

The Presidential alligator

I've become fascinated with Presidential pets.

I'm not sure why, but it might be my anxiousness over the long wait for the Obama family to finally pick out their new dog. We won't know until the spring whether it's a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog, but in the meantime, I'm studying up on pets.

I wrote about this subject in an earlier post, including the fact that Zachary Taylor's inaugural invitation included a drawing of him riding his horse, Old Whitey. But I recently found this wacky tidbit: John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, once kept an alligator as a pet.

The gator was actually a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French military officer, who presented it to Adams in 1826 -- although why, I'm not sure.

So where do you keep an alligator in the White House? In the bathroom of the East Wing, of course. I found no mention of a name, but he did live with Adams and his wife for several months.

Presidents have owned sheep, rabbits, racoons, horses and even a ram -- not to mention various dogs and cats -- but an alligator? That beats them all.

Obama dog? How about a cat?

We all know the First Family has narrowed its choice to a Labradoodle or Portuguese Water Dog, but just in case the Obamas still need some help, the Miami Herald asked its reader for a few suggestions for a pet and some advice for first-time dog owners. There was no shortage of comments.

Many simply said, "Get a cat." But the overwhelming winner was any dog that had "oodle" or "poo" in its name -- that is, a dog that's crossed with a Poodle to produce less dander. So maybe that means the Labradoodle is the logical choice since it's a Poodle-Labrador Retriever hybrid.

One reader said her Labradoodle has a sweet temperament and added, "He would never bite a reporter."