So you want a dog

The Omabas are looking for a dog.

Let me be the next in a long line of people offering advice.

Get a rescue.

That doesn't mean the dog would have to be a mixed breed. You can get a poodle, a Labrador retriever, just about any kind of dog. I once had a beautiful purebred cocker spaniel that was a rescue dog. She just happened to be in the shelter the day I went looking.

And my co-worker, John Boyle, found a purebred Bassett hound.

Most shelters will take a request if you really want a specific breed, especially if you have a specific need like a child with allergies, as the Obamas do.

We got our dog, Beasley, from Animal Compassion Network, a local rescue organization. He's 7 now and a spoiled, adored member of our faamily. We describe him as mostly Lab. We don't have any idea what else is in him, just that he's a mutt.

It sends a good message to people -- that you care about saving an animal somebody else didn't want, that you're willing to take responsibility when somebody else couldn't or wouldn't.

And I think rescue dogs know how lucky they are, and they're grateful.