I think our new president-elect was just having fun with Barbara Walters. You know how it is when someone starts bragging about their dog. You can’t just let the gushing go on and on. Had Barack Obama responded with something like, “Oh, I lovvvvve those darling little dogs,” the public would have jumped on him like a pitbull on a cockapoo. Not to disparage either breed, however, especially the latter – we have a cockapoo in our house.

When we first got our dog a friend asked me what kind and when I said cockapoo she smiled and said, “Of course it is.” I wasn’t sure what she meant? A dog too fluffy for her tastes, but in keeping with my curly headed nature?

Let me tell you, an alpha dog cockapoo doesn’t back down for anyone. Just try to kick one off the bed in the middle of the night. But would I take offense were someone to call her a girly dog? It depends on what they mean by girly. She’s female but she’s not a princess. She’s more cute than elegant. But what’s wrong with cute?

In her interview with the Obamas, Walters went on about her dog Cha Cha, a Havanese, and a breed she thought would be perfect for the next First Family. She said that Cha Cha was like a sweet little terrier. This caused Barack to say, “You mean a little yappy dog?”
He went on – “You mean it sits in your lap and things?”
Michele said it was a cute dog. Barack said, “It sounds like a girly dog.”
Before he went any further down the girly path, Michele Obama reminded her learned husband, “We’re girls. We have a houseful of girls.”
And Barack Obama declared, “We’re going to have a big rambunctious dog of some sort.”

Back in 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger famously used the term “girly men” against his opponents in the California legislature, the ones he said didn’t have the guts to pass the budget. The term offended Democrats, gay people and feminists.

Obama not only waded into the girly world but the dog world. Both can bite.

The term girly is generally used to disparage that which is more decorative than useful and harkens to those old unattractive stereotypes attached to the female gender. I suppose the term girly dog might refer to tiny canines that can be carried in a purse or a backpack. But is small and compact necessarily feminine?

Perhaps a girly dog is one that wears scarves and sweaters, dressed by an owner who refers to herself or himself as the dog’s Mommy or Daddy. Dogs that people speak to in high voices and kiss on the lips. But that could also apply to a bulldog named Butch.

Would a girly dog also roll in disgusting matter, drool on the furniture, get mud on your favorite duvet, howl when it feels like it and drop hair everywhere. Or is that a… what? A manly dog? More stereotype problems there.

I know big rambunctious dogs that tremble under the bed when it thunders and go into a dreamy trance when you scratch their bellies. I know small adorable dogs who bring home dead things.

Was this Obama utterance a breeding slur or a gender slur? Or to give the man his due, was it simply a rare display of his humor. It really doesn’t matter since both Obamas say it’s Michele who rules on family decisions. She and the girls will choose what gets to live in the White House. As for the First Dog Walker? He’ll soon learn to be grateful for a creature that, no matter what happens, will forever greet him like he’s the most important person in the world.