LOS ANGELES - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has made a promise to his kids: if we win the White House, you can have a dog.

The Democratic presidential hopeful told a rally in California on Thursday that his two little girls were excited about the prospect of him becoming president but not so happy about moving to Washington.

“They’re very excited, although my 9-year-old and my 6-year-old, I’m not sure they want to move. They like Chicago,” he said, answering a little boy’s question about his kids. “We promised them that we’ll get (a) dog.”

Presidential pets have long fascinated children in the United States, prompting former first ladies Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton — Obama’s rival for the 2008 nomination — to write books about their animals.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/Keith Bedford. (Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama laughs with his daughter Sasha before speaking at a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa)