貴賓犬將成“美國第一犬”？
Americans have elected a poodle to the White House, the American Kennel Club (AKC) said Thursday.
After reports that Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle promised their young daughters that they could have a dog after the presidential election, the AKC polled the US public to find out what kind of canine would be most suitable for the possible first family.
More than 42,000 people voted over seven weeks to choose America's top dog, and the poodle won by a wet nose after a dogfight with soft-coated Wheaten terrier.
"In a race almost as tight as Hillary Clinton and Obama's run for the Democratic nomination for president, the poodle won by a (dog) hair, with just a few hundred votes separating the top two contenders," the AKC said in a statement posted on its website.
Described by the AKC as "exceptionally smart and athletic," the choice of the poodle as the ideal White House dog was no surprise, said AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.
"Poodles are currently the eighth most popular breed in the US, according to 2007 AKC registrations statistics, and spent more than two decades in the top spot - a true testament to their suitability as a family pet," Peterson said.
Other dogs in the running were the miniature schnauzer, bichon frise, and Chinese crested.
No similar vote was held for John McCain, who is poised next week to be named the Republican Party candidate for the White House.
That's because, according to the AKC, McCain already has 24 pets, including four dogs.
美國養犬俱樂部（AKC）於本週四稱，美國民衆專爲白宮挑了隻貴賓犬。
此前有報道稱，民主黨總統候選人奧巴馬及夫人米歇爾答應女兒在總統大選後養一隻寵物狗，於是美國養犬俱樂部便發動民衆爲這個準“第一家庭”物色一種最適合他們的寵物狗。
此項挑選美國“第一犬”活動持續共七週，共有4.2萬多民衆參與了評選。調查結果顯示，貴賓犬以微弱的優勢擊敗了愛爾蘭軟毛梗。
美國養犬俱樂部在其網站上發表聲明稱：“兩種狗間的競爭之激烈堪比希拉里與奧巴馬的民主黨總統候選人之爭。最終，貴賓犬以幾百張選票的微弱優勢擊敗了對手。”
該俱樂部的女發言人莉莎•彼得森說，貴賓犬的當選並不意外，因爲它們“機敏超羣，身體健壯”。
彼得森說：“據俱樂部去年的養犬登記數據顯示，如今，貴賓犬在美國是第八大最受歡迎的犬種。貴賓犬曾佔據美國最受歡迎犬種榜之首長達20多年，這充分證明它是家庭寵物狗的理想選擇。”
參與評選的其它犬種包括迷你雪納瑞、捲毛獅子犬和中國冠毛犬。
不過該俱樂部並未爲麥凱恩物色寵物狗，因爲據該俱樂部介紹，麥凱恩已經有了24個寵物，其中包括四隻寵物狗。
麥凱恩將於下週獲得共和黨總統候選人提名。
win by a wet nose:來源於賽馬中的win by a nose，由於狗的鼻子是溼的，所以衍生爲by a wet nose;意爲win in a close race,以微弱優勢取勝
be poised to:隨時準備去做
