I wanted to post something deep and meaningful about watching history happen and the rise of hope and how happy everyone suddenly is and what enormous relief and joy I felt after Tuesday night, but I think all the most beautiful words have already been used (half of them in Grant Park) and I’m too thrilled and smiley and heart-fixed to say it all the right way anyway.  🙂

So instead I thought I’d focus on the most important issue:  What kind of puppy are the Obamas going to bring with them to the White House???

(I mean, seriously, as if I didn’t love him enough already, he mentions PUPPIES in his acceptance speech!  Best president ever!)  😉

I know the blogosphere has been going bananas speculating about the First Pooch all week (either that or I self-select for political news involving dogs…but what are the chances of that?).  Still, I figured I should weigh in, especially because then I can cleverly segue into…shiny Pet Trouble covers!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Books with dogs on them!  Hooray! 

As President-Elect Obama said at his first press conference, they have to get a hypoallergenic dog for Malia, but they also want to get a shelter dog, so they need to reconcile those two issues.  I sympathize with this, because I’d love to get Sunshine a little friend, but he’d have to fit a lot of criteria that are tough to demand from a rescue dog (#1: Adore Sunshine unconditionally.).  🙂

But the Obamas have all kinds of resources at their disposal, and I think they can do it!  Lots of hypoallergenic mixed breeds get abandoned, too.  And since I’m biased like everyone else, I think they should get a poodle mix.  :-)  Poodles, like Barack Obama, have been much maligned for being elitist and snobby, but, like Barack Obama, they are TOTALLY NOT.  They are sweet, smart, hilarious little dogs who don’t necessarily need to have goofy haircuts, and they’re perfect for mixing with other breeds to get sweet, smart, hypoallergenic little mutts like Sunshine. 

Why yes, I WOULD make an excellent First Dog.

But considering how tall Barack and Michelle are, I wonder if they’d enjoy a bigger dog they can run around and play Frisbee with.  (Sunshine will chase the Frisbees, but it’s probably not the best idea for her to try to catch them.)  In which case I vote for a bigger poodle mix, like a goldendoodle — and I swear I had that thought before I even knew Malia liked them!  But how cute would that be?  Just imagine this:

plus this:  

INHERENTLY AWESOME.  :-)  :-)  🙂

Those, by the way, are the first three Pet Trouble covers.  Woo hoo!  The first two books (#1 golden retriever and #2 beagle) are coming out in April (too far away!) and then book 3, the little poodle puppy, will follow a few months later.  (And after that, bulldogs and Newfoundlands ahead!)

It’s kind of funny to be writing a series starring specific dog breeds when I’m such a fan of mutts, but it’s certainly easier to find cover models that way.  ;-)  I hope if you’re looking for a dog you’ll consider a mutt, though!  If you have a favorite breed, you can type it into Petfinder and they’ll show you options of dogs that have that breed in them.  I grew up with poodles, but the little yoodle I have now is the smartest of all of them.

That’s me!  I’m a genius!  Now put down the camera and THROW THE BALL! 

Anyway, I think the most important thing is for Malia and Sasha to get whatever kind of puppy they want.  A dog is exactly what a First Family needs, so that there will always be someone to love them unconditionally, no matter what’s going on in the outside world.  Someone who’s always happy to see them at the end of the day.  Hooray!

If you’re curious about historical First Pooches, check out the Presidential Pet Museum!  Awww!  So cute!  Miss Beazley‘s page is particularly adorable.  Whatever your politics, I defy you not to find her cute.  😉

(Check out what the Pomeranian in the background is doing while John holds up the chihuahua.  I AM DYING OF CUTENESS RIGHT NOW.)

Also, I should probably mention that AVATARS 3: KINGDOM OF TWILIGHT is finally in bookstores!  Eeeeeeeeeek oh my goodness yay!  It’s so weird, because I finished it over a year ago, so I’m like, on to the next thing! (Pet Trouble!) but here it finally is for all of you.  If you liked the first two, I hope you’ll like this one!  Thrilling conclusion to the trilogy!  Madcap non-stop action!  Shapeshifting African spirits!  Spooky underworlds!  And hopefully it’s funny, too.  Fingers crossed.  🙂

And to celebrate, I’ll be writing a blog entry (not sure about what yet…probably not about the First Dog!) for HarperTeen’s MySpace page this week (Thursday, I think), so please stop by and check it out!  Lots of lovely authors have posted there, if you’re curious for more behind-the-scenes author scoop. 

So I should probably go write that…and a book about a bulldog…and a few million other things.  By the way, if you have extra warm fuzzy thoughts to spare this week, please send them Sunshine’s way…she’s having surgery on Thursday because she tore a ligament in her knee.  :-(  (Someone’s a little too agile.)  Poor munchkin.  So we’ll be blocking off the couch, carrying her everywhere, and sleeping on the floor with her for the next six weeks while she recovers.  I see nothing wrong with this plan.  Anything for the snuggle-dog!  :-)  I’m sure the Obamas would understand. 

More soon!