Vote on Barack Obama's future dog

There's that often-repeated saying that Harry Truman made famous: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Perhaps presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama is thinking ahead. He reportedly has promised his daughters that after the election this November, they'll get a family dog. That is, at least, what I've learned from the well regarded Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which is also the nation's largest sanctuary for dogs. They've been circulating an email, which is being forwarded across the country, and was forwarded to me by a cousin of mine -- heck, maybe you've already read it -- that urges people to sign a petition asking Mr. Obama to get a dog from a shelter or a rescue group rather than a pet store.

As the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary explains, "With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, please adopt your dog from a shelter or rescue group. Don't buy from a pet store or breeder."

They've gone as far as creating a web site, www.obamafamilydog.com, where they're asking people to sign this petition.