Animal shelters rally around first pooch

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Animal shelters across the United States say they're vying to have one of their wards become the Obama family's presidential top dog.

President-elect Barack Obama's daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, want to adopt a young hypoallergenic dog currently in a shelter or doggy foster home.

Gillian Lange, who runs a shelter in Los Angeles, said she -- like many others, evidently -- has the perfect dog: A 6-month-old white poodle-terrier mix named April, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

"She loves children, especially little girls, and definitely wants to live in a house the same color as she is," Lange quipped, referring to the White House.

The Obama family's decision to adopt a shelter dog has bestowed upon strays a respectability that animal activists have been trying to convey for decades, the Times reported.

"It's huge," said Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com, noting millions of healthy dogs are euthanized each year in shelters because they can't find a home.