Good girl? Good boy? Or good dog, to play it safe?

President Trump shared a photo of the special-forces canine who became a national hero earlier this month, when it was revealed that a Belgian Malinois was injured while helping to chase down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died after detonating an explosive vest.

The dog’s name was initially kept classified in the aftermath of the raid, and, once it was revealed, there emerged speculation that Trump might introduce this paw-some patriot to the public, as occurred before the television cameras Monday afternoon. “So this is Conan, right now probably the world’s most famous dog,” said Trump, adding, “I don’t think I have to use the world ‘probably.’ ”

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The White House told MarketWatch that Conan was female, despite the president’s referring to it with a male pronoun. And a White House correspondent issued a lighthearted correction to the press pool reading: “Your pooler retracts the earlier comment that Conan was a very good boy. Conan is apparently a very good girl. Good girl, Conan.”

But then, a couple of hours later, the White House pool corrected itself yet again, posting a report headlined “Conan Is A Good Boy Again” and overriding earlier statements calling Conan both a good boy and girl. “Conan is a good dog,” it concluded.

By late morning Tuesday, Conan was — apparently definitively — female again, per the Pentagon, with a door having been left ajar for critics of the Trump White House, and the Washington Post’s chief fact checker, to infer that the gender backing-and-forthing stemmed from the administration’s desire not to concede the president had used the wrong pronoun:

The president had gushed over the military working dog, who is reportedly the veteran of more than 50 missions, as “so brilliant, so smart.”

Conan received a medal and a plaque at the White House, as well as some pats from Vice President Mike Pence during the presser.

“I actually think Conan actually knew what was going on,” said Trump. “This is a dog that is very, very special.”

Trump went on to praise Conan and the dog’s human handlers for a “flawless attack” on al-Baghdadi. “It’s an incredible story. I learned a lot about this particular type of dog,” Trump said, “and it’s trained that if you open your mouths, you will be attacked. You want to be very, very careful.”

Conan didn’t appear fazed by all of the attention on Monday, however. She wagged her tail as she was led out, at times nuzzling Pence or looking upward with what might be perceived as a doggish grin.

Trump raved that Conan is “really strong, tough, fighter,” and that a strong, unarmed man would have “no chance” against the dog when in full attack mode. “You’re very lucky he’s [sic] not in a bad mood today, Jeff,” Trump said to the press pool, possibly directing the remark to Reuters reporter Jeff Mason.

The Belgian Malinois breed is valued by the U.S. military for its ability to sniff out explosives, find victims buried by rubble, locate enemy forces, and guide and protect troops. A Belgian Malinois can cost anywhere from $1,500 for a show-dog puppy to over $30,000 for a fully trained protection dog, the New York Times reported. And it has been increasingly hard for the U.S. military to find enough of the dogs to meet its needs, as many of the best are in Europe, and remain there, or go to customers who pay higher premiums, according to a recent American Veterinary Medical Association report.

Trump also noted that these dogs are “very hard to get, this particular dog” during the press conference. “I love this dog,” Trump added.

So does the internet, as Conan began trending almost immediately on Twitter TWTR, +1.62% :

But not everyone was smitten. When someone in the media pool asked first lady Melania Trump whether she might like to adopt Conan for son Barron, she simply responded, “No.”

It was just part of a wild, if you will, day at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The White House Christmas tree had been delivered by horse-drawn carriage earlier in the day. And the White House turkeys, one of which will be officially pardoned by the president (and thus escape the Thanksgiving table) on Tuesday, arrived at the Willard Hotel in the morning.