President-elect Barack Obama joked that most shelter dogs are mutts like him, referencing his mixed-race genealogy during a lighter moment of a press conference largely focused on the United States' ongoing economic crisis.
During the question and answer period, a reporter asked what the Obama family was doing personally to prepare for its time in the White House--what books he'd been reading, whether he'd talked to any living former presidents, and whether the Obama girls would be attending a private or public school in Washington, D.C. The president-elect responded by saying that obviously his selection of a dog is of great interest not just to his daughters, but was the talk of his web site.
Many people have argued that Obama should not get a purebred dog, but instead a shelter dog that needs rescuing. Obama promised his daughters a puppy if he won the election and now many are weighing in on what kind he should get. It's an argument that stirs strong passions among the Humane Society and pet owners.
