Interest high in what kind of dog Obamas will get

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many Americans are eager to hear President-elect Barack Obama's views on the financial crisis and foreign policy, but they appear just as anxious to know what kind of dog he will get his daughters.

The Obama family has been barraged with suggestions about picking out a dog.

At his victory speech in Chicago on Tuesday night, Obama told his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, "I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us."

On Friday, at Obama's first news conference as president-elect, the seventh question was what kind of dog his family would get.

"With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. I think it's generated more interest on our website than just about anything," Obama said. "We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic."

"Our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," he quipped.

"So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household," he said.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Peter Cooney)