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<DIV>In a message dated 11/6/2008 6:15:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, L.K.
Metzler writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>No
matter what kind of puppy the Obama family selects or where the puppy comes
from, there are certain questions that come to
mind....<BR> <BR> Are there Secret Service Dogs,
and if so, what kind of dogs are they?<BR> What will the First Puppy
have a Secret Service code name? <BR> <BR>
Which major newspaper will be used in housetraining for the First
Puppy?<BR> <BR> Will the First Puppy have to carry an
identification badge like other White House inhabitants? <BR> Will
the First Puppy have open access to the Oval Office and other parts of the
West Wing?</FONT><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2><BR></FONT>----------</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>These questions in your post not only gave me a laugh, but brought me back
to some wonderful memories! And I can actually answer some of them -- I
used to work in the White House (for the first President Bush), and one of my
favorite buddies was Ranger, his springer spaniel. (I also loved Millie,
Ranger's Mom, but she was shy and Velcroed to Mrs. Bush, whereas Ranger loved
visiting his friends everywhere throughout the building -- yes, he had free
reign to wander wherever he wanted.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yes, he had his own little i.d. tag made up, with his picture and
everything, just like ours. Didn't have to carry it, but it proudly
dangled from his collar. Along with occasional notes from the
President. You see, Ranger was The Champion Moocher. He's go down
the corridor finding the doors of all his friends, then come in and give the
"I-haven't-eaten-in-days" look (yes, that one), and we'd all feed him. So
the President sometimes taped a note onto his collar saying "Don't Feed
Me." He (the President, not Ranger) once sent around a memo to all of
the "known suspects" (yes, I was one of them) asking that he not
be given treats any more, because "he's starting to look like a
Holstein. An adorable, irresistible Holstein, but a Holstein
nonetheless."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>He (Ranger, not the President) knew exactly where my dog cookies were kept,
so some days I'd look up and there he'd be, sitting with his head resting on the
little coffeetable next to the side table that had a drawer, staring
at it with levitating laser-intensity.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yes, there are Secret Service dogs -- mostly German Shepherds, and they
live with their handlers. They're "on duty" when their special collars go
on, and they snap to attention; when the collars go off, they're silly, spoiled
family dogs who sleep on beds. The first day I arrived, I drove my car up
to the West Gate for admittance. The dog on duty came inside to sniff
everything -- then suddenly alerted. "Please step out of the car, miss,"
the agent said, moving into position. My career flashed before my
eyes -- what could he have found? They gingerly removed the package he was
signalling -- and discovered that it was my homemade fudge I'd brought for the
office. The agent sighed. "Chocolate is his weak point," he
said. The dog became a good friend for the whole time I was there.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Other questions you asked -- what newspapers will be used for
housebreaking? When Millie had puppies, Mrs. Bush laughed that she had
been using the New York Times for the puppies, but noticed that all their white
on their little coats had turned gray because the ink came right off on
them. So she switched to the Washington Post, better quality printing
process.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I love all those memories. I remember looking out some very early
mornings and late nights during crisis times and seeing the President walking
the grounds, alone except for Millie or Ranger or both. And when the
puppies were there, he was adorable, down on the ground with them, even lying on
his back and having them crawl and snuggle all over him.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Beth (Duchess ATB and Blueberry ATB)</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12">-----------------------------<BR><I>For Duchess and Blueberry: "You
have gone ahead and nothing is the same, leaving paw prints on my heart that
will always remain." <BR>-- Tibetan Proverb from Prayers on the
Wind</I></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="d5cea52ea4dd0eec1ba2a5b9c7c9eef5"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">AOL Search: Your one stop for directions, recipes and all other Holiday needs. <a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212792382x1200798498/aol?redir=http://searchblog.aol.com/2008/11/04/happy-holidays-from-aol-search/?ncid=emlcntussear00000001
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