At his first press conference, President-elect Barack Obama said that getting a dog for his two daughters when the family moves into the White House in January is "a major issue."

Photos: See famous presidential pets.

After his election night mention of a new puppy for Sasha and Malia, Obama said that topic had generated more interest on his Web site than any other.

A presidential pet is long tradition; all American presidents since George Washington have owned pets. Dogs are historically the most-favored White House animal. Ronald Reagan had Rex and Lucky. Gerald Ford had Liberty. Bill Clinton's dog, Buddy, sometimes interrupted presidential phone calls to officials. And this week, President George W. Bush's dog, Barney, bit a Reuters reporter's hand.

Obama said that Malia has allergies. Unfortunately, there is really no such thing as an allergy-free furry animal. Still, there is a good selection of low-allergy dogs. Some are short-hair breeds, but not all. And not all are little dogs.

Obama said the family would prefer to adopt a puppy from an animal-rescue shelter. "But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me," the President-elect said. "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household."

While the Obama daughters wait for their new pet, maybe they'll reconsider their request once they learn about Caroline Kennedy's pony, Macaroni.