People Pets

Mario Batali Is on the Lookout for a New Dog

By Reporting by Jenisha Watts

05/19/2011 at 07:45 AM EDT

Mario Batali Is on the Lookout for a New Dog

Mike Coppola/Getty

The next venture in Mario Batali's life as a busy restaurateur and chef has nothing to do with food: He's on the hunt for the perfect dog.

"We are searching the country to find the right one," Batali told PEOPLEPets.com at the Joyful Revolution 4th Annual Gala on Tuesday.

Here are the qualifications any interested dogs must meet:

Have lots of positive energy. "I need a happy dog who doesn't mind hanging around a lot, but likes to run around," Batali said.

Be willing to tolerate affection. "He probably will be the object of so much love, so he will have to have some resilience."

Be mellow (and enjoy the occasional Grateful Dead reference). "They got to be calm. I don't like yappy, weird, little dogs," Batali said. "I like dogs that are like Jerry Garcia."

So far, the breed that meets Batali's criteria is the goldendoodle. "They are relaxed," the Croc-sporting chef said. As for what the family will name the new pet, Papa Batali is leaving that up to his boys, Leo and Benno.

"I think it's going to be something funny," Batali said. "It will never be anything that I thought of. I mean, we had a stupid dog named Taffy."

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Rebecca Romijn: My Husband Is Just Like the Dog