On Bad Presidential Puppy Decisions

They can say that the puppy was needing to be re-homed, therefore it's like adopting from a rescue group. But I didn't campaign for a presidential greyhound for exactly the same reason Obama's decision was disappointing: it glorifies pure breed dogs. And I bet my net worth, which isn't what I'd like it to be, but still, that the demand for Portugese water dogs like Bo will increase as a result of this bad decision.

I wasn't an Obama supporter (or a McCain supporter) but I did appreciate a lot of what he appeared to believe in and wish for this country. It's disheartening to know that after being educated about the "pet" trade and the implications of buying from a breeder, and seeming to understand the problems and issues, we nevertheless will have yet another pure breed dog in the White House.

I have flashes of hope for us, but they are often eclipsed by the reality that words don't mean much. Actions rule the day, and all of the words in the world cannot undue decisions that cause harm.

Comments

[Mike Grieco]

Yup--Actions speak louder than words, alright! This is NOT good news; one would have thought that if Mr. Obama new that millions of dogs and cats are destroyed every year because they are bred/produced by people who created this tragedy; he would have adopted a dog from a shelter instead of contributing to this mess...sigh

Shine-On, Mary

[Ken]

Perhaps to deflect criticism, assuage their feelings of guilt, or support a worthy cause, the Obama’s made a large donation to a local animal shelter. But a donation, however generous, well intended, or socially beneficial, doesn’t take the place of doing the right thing.

[Ron K.]

However, don’t you know that those dirty, scrub, non-pedigreed, Heinz-57 mutts in shelters have too much dander and therefore are 4-legged mobile allergen generators? This is a valid reason for any human race to discriminate against any nonhuman non-purebred mongrel.

[Alex]

Purchasing an animal and then donating money to a shelter in an effort to help homeless animals is irrational because it is reasonable to argue that President Obama's actions will create further need for shelters and rescues. He's essentially directly contributing to the problem, and then giving money to the organization designed (maybe?) to address the problem. It stands to reason that it would have been rational and by extension, perhaps, "right," in this instance, to simply give the shelter your business in the first place.

[Heather]

I'm so glad to see others blogging about this, because I was upset when I saw the new puppy choice splashed all over the news. They had the chance to do the admirable thing and didn't. There's no other way to say it. Surely there is a portuguese water dog rescue group, just like there is a group for pretty much any breed you can think of?

[Ron K.]

Now folks, Mr. O has Bo fo’ a justifiable reason and he mentioned on national TV yesterday:

Quote:

The president observed that the first dog has "star quality." End Quote.

You caint expect a mighty, high-station-in-life president to find a dog-pound dog with “star quality”. That just aint fair.

Full Disclosure: I voted for Obama.