Obama must care for presidential pooch long after term ends

Was there anyone who didn’t cheer when our president-elect declared that his daughters were getting a puppy?

Yes, there was: Me.

In that instant, I knew that Barack Obama would one day reflect on that historic night, that stirring speech and kick himself. Every parent who’s ever gotten a puppy for a kid knows what I’m talking about.

Child wants puppy. Parents refuse. Child begs. Parents relent. Child cares for puppy for one week. Parents take care of dog for 15 years.

This proves that the Obamas really are just like the rest of us.

I’m guessing that the couple doesn’t really want a dog. They’re busy professionals; who can blame them?

But their winsome daughters, Malia and Sasha, do. And they’ve promised to care for it. Pinky square.

Until Election Night, the couple stayed strong on the puppy front. But, flushed with victory and blinded by the lights, Barack Obama temporarily lost his resolve.

Come January, the president will not only have to deal with the economy, the Iraq war and terrorism, he’ll have to get up extra early to walk the presidential pooch.

I’m kidding. Surely there is an official White House dog walker. Problem is, most dogs live longer than eight years and Obama promised his girls a puppy. This means someday – when the canine has cataracts and a smelly skin condition and the girls have left for college – Barack Obama will be walking the streets of Chicago. With an old dog.

The senator was recently asked about the pedigree of the potential puppy. He said Malia has allergies and needs a hypoallergenic animal.

What a coincidence. We have allergies at my house.

If the senator is not careful, he could find himself, like me, following the business end of a poodle.

Are these dogs affectionate? Absolutely. Smart? Indeed. Neurotic? You have no idea.

There is no turning back now. The puppy promise was made in front of the world.

Yet there’s one thing on which the First Parents can hold firm: Under no circumstances should they allow a well-meaning breeder to talk them into two puppies.

It happens. I have only one daughter and we came home with a pair of puppies. (My kid said the little furball would be named after Tiki Barber. The quick-witted breeder nuzzled an identical littermate and whispered, “Ronde.” Who could resist?)

Now, on any given night, you can find me walking the streets behind not one, but two poodles.

Their owner? Away at college.

There’s an upside to a presidential puppy. Studies show that petting a dog lowers blood pressure. In time, as Obama’s approval ratings slide and the burden of being leader of the Free World settles in, the president may find comfort in that friendly fellow with the wagging tail and wet nose.

Let’s hope so. Because whatever else lies ahead, this much we know about our next president:

The dude’s getting a dog.

Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net