Peruvian association offers Obama hairless dog
AFP/OFF/File – A canine club in Peru offered US president-elect Barack Obama a Peruvian hairless dog, such as seen here, …
LIMA (AFP) – A canine club in Peru offered a solution Tuesday to one of US president-elect Barack Obama’s most pressing dilemmas: where to find a White House dog suitable for his allergic daughter.
“We sent a letter to the (Peruvian) embassy in the United States offering a Peruvian hairless dog for Obama,” Claudia Galvez, president of the Association of Friends of Hairless Dogs of Peru (AFHDP), told AFP.
“Because of one of Obama’s daughters has allergy problems, we had the idea to offer him this puppy,” said Galvez.
Obama promised daughters Sasha, seven, and Malia, 10, a new puppy for the White House during his presidential run, and revealed at a press conference last week that Malia suffers from allergies. He stressed the need to find a hypoallergenic dog breed.
The AFHPD said the pre-Inca breed of canines they deal with are hypoallergenic, have no hair and, in fact, due to their high body temperatures are thought to cure conditions such as asthma.
According to Peruvian folklore, being close to the dog can help with other ailments, too, such as stomach upsets and arthritis.
The association even has a particular puppy in mind: four-month-old Machu Picchu, named after the ancient Inca citadel.
With over 2,000 years of Peruvian heritage, the hairless breed is a small dog with a pointed snout. Its frequent yelping and wariness of strangers make them great watchdogs.
Picchu is “playful … and will fit in with the daughters of the US president,” Galvez told AFP.
Presidential pets have long been a focus of intense interest. Every president since Calvin Coolidge, elected in 1923, has had at least one dog in the White House, according to dogsinthenews.com.
