Americans have elected a poodle to the White House, the American Kennel¹ 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 canine² 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 nomination³ 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 registrations⁴ statistics, and spent more than two decades in the top spot - a true testament⁵ to their suitability as a family pet," Peterson said.

Other dogs in the running were the miniature schnauzer, bichon frise, and Chinese crested⁶.

No similar vote was held for John McCain, who is poised⁷ 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.

美国养犬俱乐部（AKC）于本周四称，美国民众专为白宫挑了只贵宾犬。

此前有报道称，民主党总统候选人奥巴马及夫人米歇尔答应女儿在总统大选后养一只宠物狗，于是美国养犬俱乐部便发动民众为这个准“第一家庭”物色一种最适合他们的宠物狗。

此项挑选美国“第一犬”活动持续共七周，共有4.2万多民众参与了评选。调查结果显示，贵宾犬以微弱的优势击败了爱尔兰软毛梗。

美国养犬俱乐部在其网站上发表声明称：“两种狗间的竞争之激烈堪比希拉里与奥巴马的民主党总统候选人之争。最终，贵宾犬以几百张选票的微弱优势击败了对手。”

该俱乐部的女发言人莉莎•彼得森说，贵宾犬的当选并不意外，因为它们“机敏超群，身体健壮”。

彼得森说：“据俱乐部去年的养犬登记数据显示，如今，贵宾犬在美国是第八大最受欢迎的犬种。贵宾犬曾占据美国最受欢迎犬种榜之首长达20多年，这充分证明它是家庭宠物狗的理想选择。”

参与评选的其它犬种包括迷你雪纳瑞、卷毛狮子犬和中国冠毛犬。

不过该俱乐部并未为麦凯恩物色宠物狗，因为据该俱乐部介绍，麦凯恩已经有了24个宠物，其中包括四只宠物狗。

麦凯恩将于下周获得共和党总统候选人提名。