First Pooch: The Obamas Pick a Pet

Throughout their father’s twenty-two month campaign for president, Malia and Sasha Obama begged their parents for a dog. Finally, when their father became the 44th President of the United States, he rewarded their patience and good behavior in his victory speech: "Malia and Sasha will get their new puppy."

Would the girls choose a Foxhound like President George Washington’s? Or a chocolate Labrador Retriever like the Clintons’? Maybe a shelter dog? Finally, on February 25, 2009, they decided to look for a Portuguese Water Dog to move into the White House. Art rendered in watercolor, gouache, and pencil.