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FAIRMONT - The Obamas search for a family dog to accompany them to the White House has garnered national attention.

Today, a dog named Wema will draw that attention to Fairmont.

From the beginning, the Obamas have wanted to adopt a dog from an animal shelter. With their daughter Malia's allergies, the Obamas needed a dog with a hypoallergenic coat.

On Sunday, Pres.-elect Barack Obama announced his family had narrowed its preferences to a labradoodle or Portuguese water dog.

"We have a Portuguese water dog," said Cindilee Connor of the Martin County Humane Society.

A search on www.petfinder.com - one of the most popular methods for adopting shelter dogs in the United States - reveals only four Portuguese water dogs are available for adoption from U.S. shelters.

Connor received a call this week from Carole Davis, an animal rights activist, actress, author and spokesperson for Companion Animal Protection Society, based in Los Angeles. The organization found Wema online and wanted more information. They asked Cindilee to have the dog professionally groomed and photographed.

They also asked to rename her from "Blackie" - highly offensive to African-Americans - to Wema, which means "kindness and compassion" in Swahili.

"We're renaming her to give her a shot," Davis said.

Connor described Wema as a loveable, sweet, well-mannered creature that's good with kids and other animals.

"She's going to be a wonderful companion animal for anyone - whether the one to adopt her is the President or your neighbor," she said.

Wema was surrendered to the animal shelter when her family could no longer take care of all their pets. They dropped off two other dogs at the same time.

"People are going through hard times right now," Davis said. "I think this dog is a victim of that."

A campaign begins today to convince the Obamas that Wema - or another shelter dog, if not her - is the right choice. Davis is optimistic the cause will have the support of other major animal rights groups.

"I'm very fortunate in my life and I know a lot of influential people," she said. "Between all of us, we will get the word out there. I don't think this dog can be ignored. All of us in this movement are going to make sure this dog gets seen."

At the same time, the American Kennel Club has also offered its services to the family. The club has endorsed the Portuguese water dog as a better option for an allergy-friendly companion than a labradoodle, and it is pushing for the Obamas to buy a purebred rather than a mixed breed, which supposedly has less predictable coats.

Pushing back, animal advocacy groups are publicizing the large number of purebreds available in shelters. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters each year - 25 percent of those dogs are purebred.

Davis was interviewed on CNN recently, touting the cause of shelter dogs nationwide as she held her dog, a hypoallergenic purebred Bichon Frise that she adopted from a shelter.

"I wanted - with my friends - to make sure Barack Obama doesn't buy a dog because with one simple act of kindness he can be such an example of hope," Davis said. "... By adopting a dog, he single-handedly will make a difference in the way Americans bring animals into their homes."

Animal welfare groups fear the opposite will take place. If the Obamas decide to buy a dog instead of adopt, the demand for that breed may increase accordingly. Davis has seen the trend happen before when the public has been captivated by a particular breed. Dalmations are just one example after the release of Disney's "101 Dalmations."

"They become really popular and puppy millers start churning them out by the thousands," she said, "and people start buying on a whim and two or three months later when they realize they can't take care of the dogs, they get dumped at a shelter and we have to clean up the mess. It's sad."

No DNA testing has guaranteed Wema is a purebred, but she certainly appears to be, with her curly coat and robust physique. Females typically grow to be 17-21 inches tall and weigh 30-50 pounds. After closely examining the pictures, Davis is confident Wema is a Portuguese water dog.

"Searching for a dog by breed is a little iffy," she added. "And what does it really matter? We're all mutts and this is a country of mutts. That's part of what makes this country so great."