Everywhere you look there’s another article about President-Elect Obama’s search for a hypoallergenic dog.  So,  is there any dog that truly fits the criteria?

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) tried Wednesday to correct misconceptions about the matter, with the announcement Wednesday that there is “no truly hypoallergenic dog.”

“It is a common misconception that people are allergic to a dog’s hair, and it is falsely believed that dogs that shed less will not cause a reaction,” the AAAAI said

“However, allergies to pets are caused by protein found in the animal’s saliva and skin glands which gets deposited on the hair. These proteins are carried on microscopic particles through the air as an invisible aerosol. When inhaled, they trigger reactions in allergic people. As all dogs secrete these proteins, there is no allergy-free dog.”

There are some dogs that are less likely to aggravate allergies than others, those that are low or no shedding.  On Dogster we’re  having our own poll to see what type of dog you would choose as the new first dog.

The choice is out of the following dogs; Tibetan Terrier, Bichon Frise, Standard Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog,  and Schnauzer.  Run on over to the poll and select your choice, make your bark heard.

For those out there with allergies here are a few tips from the AAAAI:

*Keep pets out of the allergic person’s bedroom. Animal dander collects on pillows which can worsen symptoms during the night.

* Bathe animals weekly to reduce the amount of dander.

* Replace carpeting with hardwood or other solid surfaces for easier cleanups.

* Air filters (HEPA) may help clean the air.

* It may also be helpful to wash bedding and clothing in hot water.

Definitely good advice to keep in mind.

*  So far the Schnauzer is first in the poll, so I chose Samson’s picture to post.  That is one cute face!

On November 6th I posted Obama’s Puppy Pledge to see what Dogsters thought about the president-elect keeping his promise to adopt from a shelter.

On Friday, during the news conference, I sensed a bit of wavering when  the president-elect stated  “Obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.”

Obama was referring to Malia’s allergies and the need for finding a hypoallergenic dog, which may not be at a shelter.  I guess only time will tell what dog will become the first dog.

There has been a long history of dogs at the White House so I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few.

The Reagans’ dog Lucky, a bouvier des Flandres, had trouble with the first dog’s constant scrutiny. Lucky once relieved himself in front of Marine 1 as Nancy Reagan looked on in mock horror. Lucky was more happy living out his days at the Reagan ranch above Santa Barbara, Calif.

The happiest White House dog may have been Liberty, the golden retriever given to Gerald Ford as a puppy. Liberty spent much time in the Oval Office, serving as a convenient object of attention when Ford needed to end a conversation.

In the 1944 presidential campaign, Franklin D. Roosevelt used his Scottish terrier to take a bite out of the Republicans. The GOP spread the rumor that a destroyer had to be dispatched back to the Aleutians to pick up the first dog.

To read all the  fun and interesting facts about the White House dogs run on over to  Search For The First Pooch Is No Joke by Joel Connelly.

* The above picture is former President Ford with Liberty.

Got puppy? The election is over, and thankfully so are all the commercials, and we have our President- Elect Barack Obama.

Now the question is will he keep his pledge to his girls to get a puppy, and if so, what kind?

As the whole world heard last night during his victory speech in Grant Park, Mr. Obama declared that his girls had “earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.”

But as with most campaign promises, fulfilling this one may not be as simple as it sounds.

In July I posted Your Vote Can Make A Difference and the controversy began, should the dog come from a shelter or a breeder. The American Kennel Club quickly identified a list of five possible “pure” breeds that the Obama’s could buy from a pet store or breeder.

Best Friends’ Animal Society has a different thought…”With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, they’re proposing that the Obama’s NOT buy a dog - instead, that they adopt their next dog from a shelter or rescue group.”

On Sept. 30, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Obama’s gave a few more details.

“We’re going to adopt a dog, I think,” said Mrs. Obama.

Mr. Obama then put in: “A rescue dog.”

The news sped around the dog portion of the blogosphere. Many readers were thrilled, seeing this as a sign that the Obama’s were taking a populist approach. Many also assumed that the Obama’s were getting a dog from a shelter, although they did not exactly say that.

On November 5th the Humane Society issued a statement based on Obama’s speech.

Most presidents in recent times have had pets, and as the next president Barack Obama can set a tremendous example for the rest of Americans by adopting a homeless animal.

The Humane Society of the United States looks forward to working with President Obama and watching his children bond with the newest member of their family.”

The Obama’s are looking to adopt their new addition in the spring, because then they would be settled. So Dogsters, do you think they will:

1.  Adopt a rescue from a shelter

2. Adopt a purebred from a breeder

3. Adopt a purebred rescue from a shelter

4. Get the puppy as a gift, like the Clinton’s

Give me a bark and let me know what you think.

On Wednesday, the day we’ve been waiting for finally happened.

Pennsylvania House Bill 2525 was passed by the Senate.

The Senate and the House on Wednesday approved a bill that gives most commercial kennel owners an additional three years to comply with an array of new regulations to make their kennels more humane. The bill also gives the state agriculture secretary the power to extend that waiver even longer.

But even with provisions that supporters said water down the legislation, it still was an advancement for animal welfare in Pennsylvania, they declared.

”This is the day that we eliminate” Pennsylvania’s reputation ”as the puppy mill capital of the East,” said Rep. James Casorio, D-Westmoreland, the prime sponsor. ”The mistreatment of thousands and thousands and thousands of dogs kept in deplorable and inhumane [conditions]  will no longer stand.”

The bill has been changed from the original, but at least this is a beginning, you have to start somewhere.

Hopefully,  what Pennsylvania has begun will force every state to take a look at their laws, or lack of, so that humane treatment of dogs in puppy mills will be the norm rather than the exception.

The Wonky Bonkers contest was so much fun, and we had so many great answers.  Unfortunately, not every Dogster could be a winner.  Many pups were left toyless.

So, when the fine folks at Fat Cat offered up some political toys for a giveaway I couldn’t refuse.

The folks at Bamboo have come up with Political Animals,  toys that look like the candidates.  For your chewing pleasure.

North Hills, Calif. - So…the race is on for the White House. But Fat Cat’s got some home-grown candidates of its own that will be seen campaigning all over the country! And who knows… some of ‘em may even end up in the White House! (Well, most likely on the floor, but who’s counting?).

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Political Animals^TM from Fat Cat, Inc. Ok, this is who you think it is. The dogs have voted and the folks at Fat Cat have listened! With firm stances on planting more trees to wee on, building more dog parks and increased tax breaks on kibble, we’ve given our dogs the chance to chomp the vote in our next election!

The contest is not political, it’s all about the toys.  I’m not looking to find out who you’re voting for. I don’t need to know why you like, or dislike, a candidate.

All I want to know is if you won, would you choose to chew a toy that looks like the candidate you would or wouldn’t vote for?  Leave your answer, in the comment section, and I will choose 4 winners at random on Friday, October 10. Gook luck!

A kennel in Emmaus (PA) will have its license revoked after an inspection by The Department of Agriculture cited the owner for severe sanitation issues.

Derbe Eckhart, the owner of Almost Heaven Kennel, will be cited for violating the state’s dog law and will have to sell or transfer enough dogs to no longer be considered a kennel. Any kennel housing more than 25 dogs is required to be licensed and inspected.

“Mr. Eckhart allowed conditions at his kennel to deteriorate into a deplorable state,” said Jessie Smith, special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement. “While we continue investigating his operations, we are taking this action to protect the health and welfare of the animals there.”

Thanks to House Bill 2525, recently passed by the House making progress in the Senate, if passed it will strengthen the current dog laws concerning commercial breeding kennels.

“Raising the minimum standards for commercial breeding kennels and requiring annual veterinary checks will benefit all dogs in these types of settings,” said Smith. “Current law does not require that dogs ever receive routine medical care and as a result, many go without.

H.B. 2525 would require veterinary examinations for each dog twice per year. It would also double the minimum floor space for dogs, eliminates wire flooring, and requires access to an exercise area twice the size of the dog’s primary enclosure. Current law does not require dogs ever be taken out of cages, much less given access to exercise areas.

I realize this is only a start,  but at least we’re beginning to see some change.  You can visit DogLawAction, to learn more about Pennsylvania’s Dog Law proposed legislation.

This is truly a historic week when it comes to puppy mill reform.  A few days ago the Puppy Mill Bill was passed by the PA House of Representatives and is on the way to the Senate.

Now, there is new legislation seeking to close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act, which allows puppies to be sold via the internet without Federal oversight.

WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund commend federal lawmakers for introducing bills that will crack down on abusive “puppy mills” in the United States - where breeding dogs are often stacked in wire cages for years to produce litter after litter. The legislation will close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that currently allows large, commercial breeders who sell puppies online and directly to the public to escape licensing and regulation.

The legislation - known as the “Puppy Uniform Protection Statute” (PUPS), or “Baby’s Bill” in honor of rescued puppy mill survivor Baby who is the subject of Jana Kohl’s new book A Rare Breed of Love - was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday as H.R. 6949 by Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Terry Everett (R-Ala.). A companion bill, S. 3519, was also introduced in the Senate by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).

The statute is pretty long, but worth reading, so check out the Humane Society site to read in full.  Once again we’ve proven when dog owners become a united front we are a powerful lobbying group.  We cannot, and will not,  be ignored.

I want to thank Gizmo for giving me a bark to let me know about the new legislation.

The Obama article was posted  simply for the express purpose of letting  his dog loving supporters know it’s out there.

Since there is no Canines For McCain, if someone starts one please let me know, here’s what I have found for his dog loving supporters. After all…turnabout is fair play.

There was a poll done recently to find out which candidate pet owners were more likely to support. The winner, ladies and gentlemen, was McCain.

An AP-Yahoo! News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.

“I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person - caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” said Janet Taylor of Plymouth, Mass.

Taylor, who described herself as a retired stay-at-home wife, owns two cats, Lady Jane Taylor and Mr. Tommy Katz.

Richard Powell, 79, of Spokane, Wash., whose dog passed away last fall, said if a person owns a pet that “tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.”

He said pet ownership wouldn’t make a difference in his vote, but if a president owns a pet, then “I’m glad to know they like animals.”

Christina Duffney, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club, said “you usually connect with things that you’re familiar with, so that could be a part of” why pet owners lean toward McCain.

It also found that cat lovers lean towards McCain as well, that’s for all the Catsters out there.

If your pup wants to show his support for a candidate they can order one of these cool looking shirts, available for both candidates.

I usually keep politics, religion, breed, and dog food preference out of my commentary.  However,  the great debate 2008 is just too hard to ignore.

Staying on top of the news also means keeping up with the latest websites and reporting on them. As for my personal opinion, I prefer to be like Switzerland, neutral.

There’s a new site out for the dog loving Obama supporters, Bark Obama!, where you can get up to the minute political news and commentary.

Go check out what they’re barking about.  Feel free to give me a woof back with your opionions, please keep those wagging tongues civil.

In yesterday’s post,  Come Join The “Stop The Puppy Mills” Stroll,  I mentioned the Pennsylvania Puppy Mill Ban  that was going before the PA House of Representatives.  The law was to improve conditions for dogs in Pennsylvania kennels.

I wrote that we, as dog lovers and owners, need to take a stand and help change the laws.  The power of the people has spoken,  we now have House Bill 2525.

Today is a great morning, hopefully the start of many, because the House Bill has made it through the PA House of Representatives and is now on to the Senate.

HARRISBURG - Governor Edward G. Rendell today praised the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for voting to pass House Bills 2525 and 2532, which he said will protect kennel dogs and the families that welcome them into their homes.

He urged swift passage of the bills in the Senate to help rid Pennsylvania of its reputation as “Puppy Mill Capital of the East.”

“The bills that passed in the House today with overwhelming, bi-partisan support will go a long way to protecting dogs kept in kennels with poor but currently legal conditions,” the Governor said. “I applaud the House of Representatives for defeating the many amendments to House Bill 2525 filed on behalf of special interest groups and aimed at weakening the bill. The House has delivered strong legislation that reflects not only the needs of dogs, but the will of the public in improving the minimum standards in the worst of Pennsylvania’s kennels.

“Current Pennsylvania law allows dogs to be kept in cramped, stacked cages their entire lives with no opportunity to exercise and minimal care,” the Governor said. “These conditions lead to dogs with physical and behavioral problems. Pennsylvania must ensure that the standards of care are raised for the sake of dogs and the families that will eventually own them.”

Governor Rendell said widespread public support could help move the legislation through the Senate, and urged Pennsylvanians to let their senator know their thoughts on the issue.

As you can see from Governor Rendell’s statement, our help is still needed to make sure it is passed swiftly in the Senate and becomes law.  Again, I ask you, please go over to DogLawAction and show your support by putting paw to paper.