Are the people criticizing the Obamas believe that all dog breeders should go out of business? Are they ready to start a campaign against dog breeders as they have done with women who wear fur? 

Because from where I sit that's the argument. Anyone who buys from a breeder instead of going to a shelter is a terrible human being. Really?

Families all across the country buy dogs from breeders. There are good reasons to do this.

It would be one thing if the dog was for empty nester- then I could understand the pressure for the shelter dog. 

But kids and puppies are special and these two girls deserve to have the puppy they want to have.

Now, do I believe the dog was really recycled? Not so much. I do believe someone bought the dog and took care of it for several months, but if I were a betting skeptic I would say that the people who cared for "bo" did it until they could return "bo"for the Obama girls and so he could be classified as "recycled." Just sayin'.

 Isn't the important thing that this dog is going to be loved and taken care of and that two young girls are going to have the joy of owning a pet?

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Let's not pretend that the Obamas, or many other public figures for that matter, don't realize that their choices have political ramifications. That's not even naive, since I don't believe they and everyone else, mind you, don't realize that. It's simply looking for a good excuse.

As I explained in an email thread, I think this is just an example of our general entitled and cavalier attitudes toward other, non-human, sentient creatures.

They could have done something very simple and very honorable. Once they realized it wasn't going to be so simple, they could have said:

"Hey, allergies make it really tough for us to get a shelter dog. While we wait for a hypo-allergenic dog to show up at our local shelter, we're going to get fish instead."

Would it have required waiting a little longer? Might they end up with an older dog, not a 6-monht old?

Maybe, but it would have taught the Obama children and the rest of us the lesson that could have been taught here. Instead of just doing what could be done, instead of what should be done...because it was quicker and easier.

Elisa Camahort Page
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That's a stretch.  People - like me - who support rescue usually have deeply held reasons for doing so. I can wish someone would make a different choice, or be disappointed that they make one that goes against my belief system and what I think is right, and not think they're "terrible." And they're free to think what they think about me, but I'd hope they wouldn't draw the same conclusion. There are bloggers i've engaged with on this site, who are my Twitter contacts and people I really like online, who breed animals. I've listened to them and they to me. I still wouldn't make the choices they do, but otherwise we're fine. 

There are indeed campaigns against irresponsible dog breeding and provision of overbred animals to pet stores, and rightly so.  And if the Obamas participated in a scam of "fake dog recycling" as you suggest, I'd lose much more respect for them than if they'd just up and said, "we don't know what we're getting or where it's coming from but it'll be our choice" instead of repeatedly discussing rescue in the context of their choice.

I'm far less worried about breeders going out of business than I am about the tremendous drain on personal and municipal resources from abandoned animals. Millions - MILLIONS - of perfectly healthy, beautiful companion animals are euthanized every year. It burns me up, yes. It feels like an unsolvable problem, and I wish that it was not, so therein lies my frustration and my passion for this issue, and my belief that what children allegedly deserve has more to do with this whole question than it ought to.

Deciding to rescue or not has little or nothing to do with the age of an owner. Why an empty nester over a family? 

Breeder animals end up in shelters, too. It's not an either-or. I know nothing about the Portuguese Water Dog and I'm hoping really hard that it's an even-tempered, easy to potty train dog that people won't give up as widely as they did dalmations and Jack Russells when those were trendy. (And has anyone heard from the Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell Chihuahuas lately? Oh how I hate celebrity dog hype, the political variety included.)

Thanks for all the links, Nordette. 

Laurie

LaurieWrites

 I really appreciate your comments and obviously they are all valid.My snark on the "recycled" dog is just that "snark." There are plenty of people who get a dog for a couple of months and then life happens- change of job, illness - whatever,...so it could be a "legitimate" recycled dog - I just have a hunch that there is so much pressure from  animal groups that even though the Obama girls wanted a puppy they felt political pressure to not get a 12 week old puppy straight from the breeder.

For all those people criticizing the Obama's why not criticize The Vice President or Ted Kennedy? Why the focus on a puppy for two girls? The Obamas are not the only role models in the country.

Why a puppy?Because it's a rite of childhood. There is a difference between getting a puppy and a older dog. there is something about learning how to train it, watch it grow that is a special time in a child's life. I just think the Obama girls deserve this experience.

Could they have gotten the exact same puppy by being patient and putting out an alert to all Shelters across the country? Maybe. And maybe if that were the tactic, a loyal democrat would have bought the dog, taken care of it for several months and then brought it to the shelter with the specific decision that it should go to the Obamas.

There is a place for both shelter dogs and breeder dogs. I am definitely more on Nordette's point of view on this issue.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

i have 5 children. Our property isn't suitable for a dog, but I've had cats, all my life. All rescued, mostly by me. When the last one died (at 14, of a liver ailment), after a few months mourning we decided to look for another cat. We went to various no-kill shelters and pet rescue centers, and started meeting cats.

Unfortunately, we also started meeting rescuers and shelter volunteers. It was clear, FROM THE BEGINING, that they were not interested in seeing 'their' cats go to a family with children. Some of them just said so. My children (youngest 5, oldest 20) have a vast amount of experience with cats, take care of chickens and rabbits, and watch people's babies. Yet they weren't permitted to sit down in a fenced area with a free-roaming cat, with me present.

The adoption protocols were another thing. I saw that business with the Ellen adoption, but I thought it was an abberation. But I was looking at paperwork for a stray cat that involved 'pre-adoption' and on-going site inspections by the group, whoever they were. There's no way I'd agree to that. *I* pick who is invited to my house, and when. I should give them carte blanc for drop-in inspections, in perpetuity? And pay them $100 for a stray cat, in the bargain? That's insane.

Just to be clear, I've been vegetarian since 1976, and teach courses on small scale sustainablity. I take chickens in to school settings to show how personable and responsive they are...(before they're deep fried,) in the hopes of waking the conscience of our society about animal rights.

But I'm 100% in support of Bidens, Kennedys and Obamas getting the pet that suits THEIR needs, as a family, and the idea that the Obamas would have to INFORM THEIR RESCUE AGENCY OF A CHANGE OF ADDRESS in 8 years just makes me mad.

People have to get a grip.

http://www.blogher.com/blog/she-who

they could have kept both promises

When did the President "promise" the nation they would be getting a rescue animal?

Myself, I would have loved it if they would have gotten fish instead. Then I wouldn't have to hear it from my daughters ("big sisters" of 9 fishies) who have wanted a cat or dog for years. But in the end, we got them the pets that we felt would be best for our family at this point in our lives. Hopefully the Obamas have done the same.

~~

This So-Called, Post-Post-Racial Life

http://postpostracial.wordpress.com/

There was no way--no choice on earth--that was going to please everyone.

I've been involved in dog sports and conformation showing for a number of years, and in rescue for longer than that.  There is a saying among dog-show people along the lines of, "If you breed, rescue.  If you don't rescue, don't breed."  Most reputable breeders who are among my acquaintences make a real effort to have at least a *neutral* "footprint" in dog population, by donating time, money, and labor to many rescue efforts.  Our personal strength over the years has been in fostering rescue dogs.  I've tried to be a caseworker, but couldn't handle the interviews and weeding through the applicants for those very few great homes.  I don't have the funds to just donate tons of money.  What I have been able to provide is space, love, and time for dogs transitioning from shelter to forever homes.  It's hugely rewarding.

 My best dog EVER was a purebred standard poodle who came to me through Bluebonnet Poodle Rescue in Texas.  That dog...there are no words.  He earned titles in multiple disciplines, and a Versatility Certificate for his breed.

So yes, you can have a purebred dog (and if that's what you want, you should not be made to feel that you have to explain yourself to ANYONE) and still support rescue.  It doesn't have to be all or nothing, here.

And I can't get out of my mind that the ultimate goal of animal rights agendas is to end the existence of ALL domesticated species, whether they're bred as food or pets or for important work. Ingrid Newkirk and others have made that abundantly clear.  But I do not allow my feelings about "animal rights" to interfere with my efforts toward improving animal WELFARE.  They're two completely different things.  My pets are loved beyond what most people consider "normal," but any choice between one of them and a human--even a human who is a stranger to me, is a no-brainer. From an AR perspective, that makes me a "speciesist."  Well, you know what?  I'm OK with that.  In my view, PeTA's famous "a fish is a dog is a boy" line is a load of rubbish.

Belinda

I wrote many months ago that I didn't think the Obamas' pet choice should be a political decision, and I wish the president had not made it one with some of his statements. So it goes. 

Personally I am glad the Obamas got a Portie for all the reasons I describe in this post 

As for PETA -- Belinda is absolutely correct. It doesn't want us -- any of us -- to have pets. It just uses the shelter dog argument as a screen to build public sentiment against purebred animals. But it doesn't actually support rescue operations or shelters. The money you donate to PETA? It's used for lobbying.

I'll say it again: Straw man argument.

In January Americans polled at 2-to-1 preferring the Obamas to get a shelter dog. I guess they're all just wild-eyed radicals?

People care. He knew they would care. He made the choice and decided to live with it. No sense chastising people for caring exactly like they did a few months ago.

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My older dog, Jasper is a rescue dog and a real mixed breed. He is 9 years old and the best dog ever.

I have worked for an animal welfare organization. I give money to animal rescue groups and no kill shelters. I vehemently oppose puppy mills and believe that animal cruelty laws in Canada need to be toughened considerably. I knew I wanted a rescue dog to add to my family.

However, my younger son has asthma and family (rightly) persuaded us that our second dog should be hypoallergenic. I tried for a year to find a hypoallergenic rescue dog that was good with kids, other dogs and wouldn't eat our cat.

In my search, I went well beyond our area. I contacted rescue organizations within an eight hour drive all over Canada and the US. Several groups won't place dogs with kids. Some won't place dogs when families live too far away.  At least twice we just couldn't make a long drive to visit a dog in time to be the first ones there.

Finally, the dog rescue coordinator for a local group told me point blank that we could look for a VERY long time before we met a dog that fulfilled our needs (they rarely get hypoallergenic puppies and won't place adult dogs with families with kids). We chose to adopt from a reputable breeder who truly loves dogs and raises and cares for them in her home. It was a compromise.

My next dog will hopefully come from a shelter. I will continue to support these organizations. I understand that President Obama made a donation to a local humane society. It's not a perfect solution but a pretty good compromise.

Laurie

www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

PETA makes it about PETA. But , this isn't a thread about PETA.   My apologies,  I have very strong opinions about the issue of animal rights versus animal welfare, and as someone who has devoted a significant part of my life to dogs, I take it very seriously and very personally. 

 Bottom line, IMO Obama should never have made the choice of the family pet a group or political decision. It is personal, and there are many factors to be considered. Shelter dogs aren't right for everyone, for a variety of reasons. In some places, like Massachusetts where I live, we have very high neuter rates and there's actually a shortage of shelter dogs. They are imported from the South and Puerto Rico to meet demand. That just seems crazy to me.

 But Obama did make it a political issue. His bad I suppose, but in the end of the day, I do think the dog they chose is a good choice for his girls. And really, that's all that matters. Two kids and their dog.