In recent news, President-Elect Barak Obama let his children know that he would make good on his promise of getting them a puppy for when they moved into the White House. This little tidbit has set most of cyberspace aflutter with anticipation of exactly what breed of puppy and where it might come from.

Good news is that Michelle Obama has said that they would consider a shelter dog for the office of First Dog and if that comes to pass the message it could send through the animal welfare community would be a powerful one. Getting shelter animals adopted has been the mainstay of shelter life—with pet overpopulation currently still a giant issue, no-kill shelters being overcrowded, having a beacon like the President adopting a dog would create a watershed event for this cause.

One of the obstacles the Obamas face to getting a puppy is that their daughter Malia, 10, has allergies—if I recall correctly, like me, she’s asthmatic. Allergens, especially animal dander, can be a huge risk for an asthma attack. This makes getting an animal for the family something of a risk and the responsibility is to find an animal that won’t set off an attack. Thus, hypoallergenic dog breeds come into play.

Firstly, I should point out that there are no truly hypoallergenic dog breeds—with perhaps the exception of shaved dogs and eventually genetically engineered dogs—but there are dogs which have certain attributes to reduce the allergens associated like less dander, less shedding. Also, people can do a lot to reduce their own allergies to their pets through regular bathing, proper use of shampoos without scents and dyes, and keeping their pets healthy.

Here’s a short list of possible hypoallergenic breeds from the AKC:

• Bedlington Terrier
• Bichon Frise
• Chinese Crested
• Irish Water Spaniel
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Maltese
• Poodles (Toy, Miniature or Standard)
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Schnauzer (Miniature, Standard or Giant)
• Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
• Xoloitzcuintli

We wish the Obama family good luck in finding a shelter dog who fits their needs. There are probably numerous shelters from all across the country with wonderful dogs just looking for their day.

If anyone else has suggestions on what they know to be good low-allergy dog breeds. We’d welcome the input.