The biggest news of the week is continued speculation about what type of dog the Obama’s will bring with them to the White House, despite their having pledged earlier this summer that they would adopt a dog from a shelter in LA county. Even the lists are abuzz with debate on what best represents the dog community. Information relating to Obama’s daughters being allergic to dogs continues to go under the radar to most of those making suggestions. Here are just some of the related news stories of the week:

After announcing they planned to buy a dog as a reward for their daughters being such good sports about the grueling campaign, animal rights and animal welfare groups started campaigns of their own — for the Obamas to adopt a shelter dog and not buy a dog from a breeder. PETA’s president sent them a letter. Best Friends Animal Society launched a petition drive on the Web site www.obamafamilydog.com that collected 50,000 signatures in just two weeks. The Humane Society of the United States made an appeal. The American Kennel Club, the registry for purebred dogs, supported the first couple-elect’s initial decision to buy a dog from a breeder. More than 42,000 Americans voted in AKC’s poll to determine the right breed of dog. The winner: the poodle, chosen from five hypoallergenic breeds so as not to irritate Malia and Sasha’s allergies. Then the news broke on “Entertainment Tonight” a little over a month ago: Michelle Obama announced the family would, indeed, adopt a rescue dog. >>Obamas will adopt, rather than buy, a dog (11.5.08)

Details of Pennsylvania Avenue’s newest tail-wagger have not been disclosed. But in a May appearance with her husband on “Good Morning America,” soon-to-be first lady Michelle Obama said the family would not add a new dog for another year. “What we know about raising a dog is that you have to be pretty stable,” she said. And by spring 2009, “we’ll be settled, one way or another.” Introducing a new dog during a period of upheaval — whether the holiday rush or a presidential inauguration — is a recipe for trouble, agreed Alan Christiansen of Dog Gone Good Dog Training in Coram…Michelle Obama also indicated that the dog would come from a shelter, not a breeder or pet store. But that egalitarian impulse might not jibe with the family’s need for a young dog that will not aggravate allergies: Most shelter puppies are mixes that are not hypoallergenic, and most purebred rescue dogs of any breed — including those with low-dander coats — are adults. “It’s not likely that you’re going to find any purebred puppy younger than 4 months old in an animal shelter, and even those are few and far between,” said Pamela Green, director of the Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton. >>Obama family dog first on the list (11.5.08)

Barack Obama made history last night when he was elected as the first African American U.S. president, but he may have also made history in yet another way when he said, “I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.” That brief puppy mention may represent the first time that an animal has been referenced in a presidential victory speech. If not, use of the word “puppy” would certainly seem to be a rarity. >>First U.S. Presidential Victory Speech to Mention an Animal? (11.5.08)

Unlike previous White House dogs, America’s next First Pooch may come from more humble beginnings. The Obamas appear to being leaning toward a rescue dog in what could be the 44th president’s first major appointment. President-elect Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he would fulfill a campaign promise to buy his daughters a puppy. “Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine,” Obama said in his Election Night address. “You have earned the puppy that is coming with us.” >>Chicago rescue groups urge Obamas to get shelter dog (11.6.08)

Now it seems everyone has an opinion on what kind of pooch the Obamas should get and where they should get it from. It’s a big decision. Many White House dogs — most presidents have had at least one — become celebrities in their own rights. >>Picking the Obamas’ White House Pooch (11.6.08)

President-elect Barack Obama hasn’t even gone to the pound to get his long-promised puppy for daughters Sasha and Malia, but when it arrives, there will be a present awaiting the fur ball. Milk-Bone tells us that it will provide a lifetime supply of the doggie treat to the new first family. Why? Well, says the firm celebrating its 100th anniversary, “to welcome the first pup to the White House.” >>Obama Dog Gets Milk-Bones for Life (11.6.08)

AIREDALE ALERT: Counting Obama, the country has had 44 Presidents, and only two of them — Chester A. Arthur and Franklin Pierce — left no record of having pets. Like Obama himself, the family pooch will have some big shoes to fill. Previous White House pets have set the bar pretty high. >>White House pets: Hippo, gator and ‘Satan’ (11.7.08)

So what should the First Family have in mind when looking for a pooch? Cesar Millan, the star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer, has some advice for the Obamas. First, don’t expect the canine to be impressed by the commander-in-chief just because of his resume. “The dog won’t know he’s Barack Obama and won the presidency,” says Millan. “Dogs don’t know if they live in Beverly Hills or the White House. They don’t know what you do for a living.” >>The Dog Whisperer Gives Advice on Obama’s Puppy (11.7.08)

Obama told reporters Friday that his mention on election night of getting a puppy for Sasha and Malia had “generated more interest on his Web site than any other topic.” He said, “We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic so it has to be hypoallergenic.” Obama also said there were a number of breeds that were hypoallergenic, but that the family’s preference is to adopt a dog from a shelter. Obama added: “But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.” >>Obama: Getting a dog isn’t easy (11.7.08)

As for the rest of this week’s dog news:

Thousands of pet owners face having to pay more to treat their sick animals after vet prescription fees were reintroduced yesterday. It means a bill of around £15 on top of the average £30 consultation fee for 120,000 owners who opt to buy drugs from cheaper online pharmacies rather than their vet. There are fears the higher cost will leave some owners unable to afford treatment. For the past three years those who wish to buy medicines from pharmacies have been able to obtain a prescription from their vet at no cost due to a Government ban on fees. >>Pet owners hit by return of £15 charge on prescriptions (11.1.08)

A file of up-to-date information on your cat or dog may come in handy during an emergency. Here is a list of things you might put in the folder, which you should stash in an easy-to-grab spot. You might want to keep copies of some of these items in your safe deposit box as well. >>Create an emergency folder for your pet (11.1.08)

This being the time of year when hunters are pursuing various games species in Pennsylvania’s woods, it is important to keep tabs on a dog when grouse hunting. Traditionally, hunters attach a bell to their dog’s collar to know its location in the woods. This tried-and-true method has worked for decades, but it has one drawback — when the dog points, the bell stops making noise, so the hunter must locate the dog by trying to hone in on its approximate location the last time the bell was heard. Now, new technology brings grouse hunters the tone beepers, which can be added onto the dog’s training collar and run with a transmitter. Tri-Tronics, which is at the forefront of electronic training aids for dogs, has what many consider the best overall product on the market for hunting use in the Sport G3 Training Collar, which has a built-in beeper. >>Electronic dog collars ring in new era for hunting, training (11.2.08)

The types of vaccines that your pet might need will vary with their lifestyle and environment. There are lots of vaccines and it can be confusing when presented with so many options. The best advice is to hook up with a veterinarian you trust and go with their recommendation. If this doesn’t work for your pocketbook, there are low-cost vaccination clinics, which offer a plethora of vaccines, but you will need to know what your pet needs. The “core” vaccines are vaccines that every pet should have. The following are recommendations published by the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of California, Davis, the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association. Non-core vaccines are optional and should be considered in light of the exposure risk of the animal. >>Pet Paulse: What shots should my pet have? (11.3.08)

Massachusetts voters today embraced a ballot question to end greyhound racing in the state, rejecting track owners’ arguments that the ban would cost jobs at a time of economic hardship in favor of protecting dogs from harm. The contentious ballot question passed amid emotional ad campaigns by both sides. Proponents used images of sad-eyed greyhounds that they say are caged inhumanely and raced to injury while opponents put the spotlight on the track employees who would be put out of work if the ballot question passed. >>Mass. voters approve dog racing ban (11.4.08)

His name is Hubble. And you don’t need a telescope to see that he is not exactly a handsome hound. The eight-year-old terrier-type cross has part of his nose and mouth missing as a result of an injury he suffered in his youth. A fortnight ago the dog was rescued by big hearted animal rescue workers after he was discovered tied up in a wood after his owners abandoned him because of his ugly looks. >>Britain’s ugliest dog Hubble searches for new life after being abandoned (11.4.08)

AIREDALE ALERT: Roo is one well-read-to dog. As part of a program called Read to the Paw, students at Irisburg Elementary School take turns reading aloud to Roo, a brown-and-black 4-year-old Airedale terrier. Roo is a good sport. On Friday, she was decked out in a “gingerbread cookie” Halloween costume that included a chocolate brown bonnet/mini-cape and similarly colored garments around her ankles. Eight-year-old Kelsey Ely, dressed up herself in a red top with sequins and furlike accents and red pants with sequins, petted Roo frequently as she read to the dog a book about a donkey that always wanted to be a lion. >>Roo helps students with reading (11.4.08)

A duck is a duck, unless he thinks he’s a dog. A Tulsa magazine recently had an article about a duck named Aflac. He has been raised in a veterinary clinic and really doesn’t know he’s a duck. The duck wags his tail, and pants like a dog. Ken Capron is a veterinarian specializing in animal dentistry. He does root canals, reconstructions and crowns just like a human dentist. But, Aflac is a duck and they don’t have teeth. >>Walks Like A Duck Pants Like A Dog (11.5.08)

Has your pet started changing its personality? I ask this because I was asked the same question last week when I took my cat in for his annual physical and shots. “Yes,” I answered. “He hasn’t had a seizure for months and is acting like a healthy cat now; chasing a ball, running up and down stairs, loving and starting to purr.” “And he has lost some weight with all that exercise,” added the technician. In the case of your pet dog, usually the answer to this question is a flat “no,” and if it is “yes,” it is meant in a negative way, like growling, hiding or refusing to eat. If the answer is “yes,” the veterinarian needs to check for physical disorders such as worms, a thyroid condition, a spinal disc problem, poisoning, constipation, diarrhea, anal gland infection, colitis, pancreatitis, urinary ailments, allergic reactions, as well as other conditions that might affect behavior. >>K9 Corner: Pet’s personality changes may signal health problem (11.5.08)

I don’t recall any of the three Airedale Terriers I had while I was growing up displaying the “food-related aggression” from which new government advice says we must protect our dogs. What is food-related aggression, anyway? Is it that feeling you get when you’ve got your heart set on the ribeye only to be told that the gentleman on your left has just ordered the last one? Or the frustration encountered when you’ve gone to the trouble of pulling your boots and raincoat on over your pyjamas and stepped out into the night, only to find the corner shop has run out of Minstrels? >>Sophie Morris: Lessons in life that only a pet can give us (11.6.08)

Dry pet food contaminated with salmonella sickened at least 79 people over three years, U.S. health officials said Thursday while warning that pet food may be an under-recognized source of infections in humans, especially young children. “This outbreak is the first documented outbreak to associate human salmonella infections with contaminated dry dog food and to trace human illness to a contaminated pet food plant,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said in its weekly report on illnesses and deaths. No one is known to have died of the rare strain, called Salmonella enterica serotype Schwarzengrund. The illnesses occurred between Jan. 1, 2006, and Oct. 31, 2008. >>Pet food sickened dozens of people in U.S. (11.7.08) >>CDC: Contaminated Pet Food Sickens 79 >>Dry Pet Food Sickens Humans >>Pet food making people sick >>Pet food sickened dozens of people in U.S. >>More Salmonella cases linked to dry pet food

This Week In Dog News (Saturday, November 1, 2008 - Friday, November 7, 2008)