Lifestyle / Barack Obama Obamas Are 'Closing In' on First Puppy It's a labradoodle or Portuguese water hound for Sasha, Malia By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Jan 12, 2009 7:24 AM CST Copied President-elect Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama get daughters Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, ready for their first day of school in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Obama Transition Office, Callie Shell) See 3 more photos As their father prepares to take office next week, future first daughters Malia and Sasha Obama have only one question: When do they get their puppy? The girls have narrowed the choices down to two, Obama tells George Stephanopoulos—a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound. All that remains, the president-elect says, is to wait for the right dog to appear at a shelter. “We’re closing in on it. This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary,” Obama joked, adding that his daughters are thriving in Washington: “You know, folks think I’m cool; they are a lot cooler than I am. They just don’t seem to be intimidated.” (More Barack Obama stories.) See 3 more photos Report an error