The Obamas never had a dog in Illinois. It was apparently considered better for his image to get a dog once he took up residence in the formerly White House. I wonder if his staff ran focus groups to decide which breed to get? Pitbull? No, too ghetto. Golden Retriever? No, too White. Rhodesian Ridgeback? No, people would want to see its birth certificate.
I bet they tried alot out before choosing. The ones they didn't want they just had for dinner.