Executive director Bill McDonald offered the dog after U.S. president-elect Barack Obama recently announced his desire to adopt that breed of dog from a shelter. It's a long shot, but shelter staff in Winnipeg are excited that one of their puppies could end up living at the White House.

"They laugh and then they say, 'Do you think this could happen?' " McDonald said. "My answer to that is it's up to the Prime Minister. But why not?"

McDonald thinks it's a great idea. Instead of alienating shelters in the U.S., Obama can accept a puppy from Canada as a state gift.