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Search Is On For Presidential Pooch

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Search Is On For Presidential Pooch

CHICAGO (CBS) ― President-elect Barack Obama has a lot on his plate when he takes office in January. But one place he doesn't want to be is in the doghouse with his daughters.

He intends on keeping a campaign promise about a new White House puppy, CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports.

The pressing issue: finding a puppy at a shelter that won't make 10-year-old Malia Obama sneeze. Tall order or easy task? It's probably somewhere in the middle.

The Obama family has to consider more than just the "aww" factor when selecting a dog, considering Malia's allergies. Veterinarian Jessica Miller says some breeds are a lot less likely to cause allergies. They include poodles, wheaton terriers and bichon frises.

The question is, can you find one of those where the Obamas would like to look?

"Our preference would be to get a shelter dog," Obama said Friday when asked about the dog issue.

It's very easy to find hypoallergenic dogs at a shelter, according to PAWS founder Paula Fasseas, who adopted her own. She says the no-kill shelter did an inventory and found there are four or five "pets in waiting" that fit the Obama bill.

There's even a terrier mix with a very appropriate name – Harvard. Obama went to Harvard Law School.

So that election night statement Obama had for his kids – "You have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House" – might not be the daunting task he thought.

Just ask the Siegel family. They took home a hypoallergenic shelter dog Friday night.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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