First Family's Puppy Decision: Should They Get a Cat?

[Cyrus]

VOTE FOR CATS!

Thread locked!

NO KITTY My POT PIE! Mewwwwww.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp2K-vIXB1o&feature=related

 

[Math Is Hard]

All cats are Libertarians, you know. :)

 

[Gokul43201]

Where were you when this was all over the news some months ago?

Why the heck would I be paying attention to news stories about puppies? There were REAL issues I was paying attention to. Good grief folks! I can't believe how insane people have gotten about Obama.

Wow! You really couldn't tell that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek?

You can't even point out that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, a dog is NOT the right choice for his kids.

Sure you can. But for someone that has never come across this story before to suddenly decide that it constitutes lame parenting based on a sentence that I wrote (and there were no maybes in the post) seems a little ... drastic.

I'll remember, the dictator should not be questioned.

The dictator? Good grief, Moonbie! Take it easy! This is a puppy thread, after all.

Back to puppies y'all. No politics here.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

All cats are Libertarians, you know. :)

Libertines, at least.

Perhaps if there's an allergy problem the puppy could be in a large hamster ball.

⚛​

 

[OmCheeto]

Perhaps they can convince the children that a blind mole rat is a dog.

 

[mgb_phys]

Mr Bigglesworth

 

[Lacy33]

Did you see that?
Wow! fast...
(edit)

 

[Math Is Hard]

As for the kids learning to clean up after puppy, Obama is going to be cleaning up the same kinda mess for 4 years too. They can make it a real family thing. Cleaning up the doodie.

We should send him a forklift!

 

[binzing]

Mr Bigglesworth

Ha ha...I second that...

 

[Lacy33]

We should send him a forklift!

I don't know. Who gets paid more, an American President for this next term or a Roto-Rooter plumber?
Just last night I warred with the plumbing, I don't envy anyone taking that job at all. Hope he's handy.

 

[OmCheeto]

Ha ha...I second that...

Ok... What's a bigglesworth?

 

[Cyrus]

Ok... What's a bigglesworth?

COME Mr. BIGGELSWORTH!

 

[OmCheeto]

COME Mr. BIGGELSWORTH!

No. I'm serious. I don't know what a biggelsworth...

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Ok... What's a bigglesworth?

This is a reference to the Austin Powers series of films. Mr. Bigglesworth is Dr. Evil's cat.

⚛​

 

[mgb_phys]

And is hairless http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Bigglesworth#Mr._Bigglesworth

 

[Andre]

That's hilarious. Would be the first dog to call his boss.

No one? I guess humor is not my thing, Barrrk

 

[Chi Meson]

How safe are those hypoallergenic dogs? My friend got a hypoallergenic cat ($600!) for her daughter and she still got sick. They had to give the cat away.

I have a very close friend who is severely allergic to pet dander. So allergic, that she has never been able to go to any party at anybody's house if they own a pet (unless she loads herself with steroids, and then she can only stay a short while). By the way, she is Denise the Woodworker, for those who need a name and profession.http://yellowpages.norwichbulletin.com/Wood--27ja+Woodworking.327672.106224654.home.html

Anyway, true story: we know her from our triathlon days; she too being an athlete. Right after our local race (Mystic River Valley Triathlon, 2004), she was hypothermic at the end. She went to the First aid tent, and they wrapped her in a blanket. She asked "is this wool?" (very allergic you see) they said "no." After one minute, she nearly went into shock. She had to be helped to the shower and her inhalents. Turns out there was some cat hair on the blanket. Not much, but some, and it nearly hospitalized her.

"So what?" you are asking? Well get this:

Denise has always had a dog. Her last dog was a Portugese water dog, right now she has a standard poodle. The difference? "Hair, not fur."

Point being: get the right kind of dog, and it's not a problem. The people who have these allergies, and the parents of those who do, will be quite aware of the choices if they are slightly educated. I propose that, despite anyone's political opinion, the Obamas are at least slightly educated.

 

[hypatia]

Hmm I wondered if my post on the first page was invisible.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Mrs. Calvin Coolidge and the first racoon.

President Harrison's first goat.
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs/images_02/photo_404c.jpg

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I thought this was particularly amusing photo of President Johnson and his beloved dog, Yuki.

Johnson also had two beagles named Him, and Her.

 

[Integral]

Seems like politics brings out the worst in everybody. Sure glad this election is over... now all I need to do get through the next 4 years without saying the Obama word in my house.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I corrected your statement for you.

... now all I need to do get through the next 8 years without saying the Obama word in my house.

 

[turbo]

Nice shots, Ivan. My wife has a picture somewhere of her grandmother with a family of young raccoons climbing all over her. She had a camp on a lake, and she used to feed the raccoons on her front porch.

 

[BobG]

Rebecca, the raccoon, was sent to the Coolidges to be part of the White House Thanksgiving feast. She wound up living better than most Americans at the time, dining on shrimp, chicken, persimmon, and eggs.

They also had a pet bobcat and two lion cubs, which reminds me of something I saw on TV:

Elly (showing off her new pet): "The man at the zoo says he's going to grow up to be more'n 300 pounds! Cause he's a lion!"

Granny: "Darn right he's a lyin'! Not even a bobcat gets that big!"

 

[Math Is Hard]

The Obamas will adopt rather than buy:

http://www.mercurynews.com/petsheadlines/ci_10908907

Thumbs up!

 

[SticksandStones]

The Obamas will adopt rather than buy:

http://www.mercurynews.com/petsheadlines/ci_10908907

Thumbs up!

BIG thumbs up. A great example for everyone to follow! :)

 

[physics girl phd]

Did anyone else just see this clip on NBC news where Obama, in his first press conference as president-elect discusses the puppy-decision and refers to himself as a "mutt"?

Of course this has been in some of the negative media already -- so why not embrace it to render the criticism less powerful?

 

[turbo]

Did anyone else just see this clip on NBC news where Obama, in his first press conference as president-elect discusses the puppy-decision and refers to himself as a "mutt"?

Of course this has been in some of the negative media already -- so why not embrace it to render the criticism less powerful?

Most of us ARE mutts! I am French-Canadian/Indian on my mother's side and Irish/German/Scottish/Indian on my father's side. On my father's mother's side his founding male was a Hessian officer who accepted land in PEI in lieu of some of his payment, and on his father's side, the founding male was an Irish refugee fleeing the Potato Famine. The notion of racial/ethnic purity in a country built by immigrants (with some degree of intermarriage/devastation of the native population) is pretty silly.

 

[Kurdt]

Its even silly in Europe to consider oneself pure.

The oddest (or most interesting) mix I've come across is my friend, a linguist whose grandfather on one side was a Nazi officer and whose other grandfather was a German Jew who fled to Britain.

 

[mgb_phys]

Probably the only people in the world that could consider themselves 'racially pure' are Australian Aborigines which must delight neo-nazis