Americans Riveted With Suspense Over Future First Dog

Future First Dog?

Having already ignored my urgent plea to get on with it and pick out a dog, President-in-Training Obama today took a tour of the White House instead.

Flying under the radar, however, Obama officials are quickly scurrying to secure a dog that would represent this historic, transformative presidency of hope, change, onerous tax increases and oddly changing websites, and now we may have the Peruvians to thank for aiding in this crisis.

Peruvians crazy about their national dog, a bald and often toothless breed popular among Incan kings, offered on Monday to send a hypoallergenic puppy to the Obama family.

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has promised daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, a new pet for the White House. But Malia is allergic to most breeds, he said on Friday as speculation swirled about the dog the family would choose.

Owners of the Peruvian Hairless Dog, a breed dating back 3,000 years and depicted in pre-Hispanic ceramics, say it is perfect for kids who are sensitive to dogs.

"They do not cause any type of allergy and are very friendly and sweet," said Claudia Galvez, 38, director of the Friends of the Peruvian Hairless Dog Association.

"We want to give a male puppy to Obama's daughters, so they get to experience all the joys of having a dog but without any allergies."

And what better dog to represent Obama than one called Ears?

Galvez delivered a letter detailing her offer to the U.S. embassy in Lima on Monday and hopes Obama will accept it.

Galvez has a 4-month-old pedigree puppy to send to the Obama family. For now, she is calling it Ears because it has two large, perky ones.