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Obama Dog Not a Good Example
So everyone knows by now that the Obamas are proud new owners of a small Portugese Water Dog, Bo. And everyone also knows by now that Bo came from a breeder, not a shelter. What a disappointment. 
(Thanks to Mary O’Conner Shaver for this:)
“The presidential pooch is set to make his public debut Tuesday, according to TMZ.com. The pet apparently comes with quite the Democratic pedigree.
The Obamas have settled on a Portuguese water dog from a Texas breeder – the same breeder and doggie lineage as Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy’s pets, the entertainment news service said.
The six month old puppy, Charlie, was originally sold to someone else, and then returned to the breeder. The dog will be “re-homed” with the Obamas and presented to the first family by the Kennedys. The “re-homing” avoids any issues with guidelines on presidential gifts, TMZ said. The Obama dog will also get a new name.
As the proud guardian to five rescued canine companions, I find this latest news incredibly disheartening given the exposure Obama received during Jana Kohl and Baby’s book tour, “A Rare Breed of Love.” Right after the election, when Obama said his family’s “preference would be to get a shelter dog … a mutt like me,” I was ecstatic. I was one of thousands of supporters who signed an e-card to the Obamas thanking them just for considering a rescue dog. One signer suggested: “Your ‘first pet’ could become an international spokesdog for adoption!”
At a time when job losses and record foreclosures are forcing more families to surrender their pets, an adopted dog in the White House would be a huge boost for the estimated 6 million dogs and cats taken into shelters each year.
The president has said he must balance his preference for a shelter dog with the need for a dog that won’t affect his daughter Malia’s allergies. But allergies don’t have to be a bar to rescuing an abandoned pup. We all know many dogs are hypoallergenic. Also, rescue groups specialize in abandoned dogs of just about every breed.
Obama’s not going to solve the global economic crisis or nuclear proliferation this month. But his example sure could make a difference in the crisis of too many dogs and too few homes.
It is my firm belief that going from pound puppy to first pet would mark the fastest rise since a certain first-term U.S. senator got elected president.”
Concurrently, my hero Wayne Pacelle of A Humane Nation, the HSUS blog, has this to say about the situation on his blog:
“It’s through that same lens that so many animal advocates have had their tongues wagging about the First Family acquiring a dog—the anticipation heightened by President Obama’s own positive pre- and post-election wishes to go to a shelter for a dog for the girls. With all the shelter talk, he set high expectations, especially given that his predecessors never hit that high mark in bringing their pets into the White House. And he and the First Lady acted responsibly in postponing any decision about a dog until they were well settled in their new home, an approach we recommend to potential adopters.
Admittedly, the choice was complicated for the Obamas by daughter Malia’s allergies, and the information circulating about suitable pets for their situation. Nevertheless, the Obamas’ decision disheartened animal advocates. But the circumstances do have some shades of gray for animal advocates, given that the dog, now named Bo, was in a home, but was apparently returned to the breeder because he was just not the right fit. For that reason, we call him a second-chance dog. And we’re happy for Sasha and Malia, who have been exceedingly patient in waiting for a pet to join their family.
Nonetheless, the disappointment in America among our supporters is palpable, and I’ve been getting lots of emails from folks who feel passionately that an opportunity was squandered to help America’s shelters and the animals in them.”
So my question is, what do you think? Did the Obamas do the wrong thing here, or do “breeded dogs” need good homes too?
Photo Courtesy AP Photo/The White House, Pete Souza
This is a HUGE LET-DOWN for animal welfare activists and advocates and even pet lovers everywhere. The Obama family was supposed to make a RESPONSIBLE, calculated decision about adoption through one of the hundreds of thousands of shelters in this country and instead they go to a breeder.
What do we expect from a politician? I lost respect for the Obama family on this one. Way to set an example Obama…. (not sarcasm)
For me it depends on one key issue- what kind of breeder the pup came from. I do not believe that all breeding is wrong. While I wouldn’t swap my dsh kitties for the world, I still believe there is a place for the preservation of existing breeds. If the breeder of Bo is a responsible breeder, where the parents are health screened, they are raised in a safe, caring environment, and all care is taken to create happy, healthy, sociable dogs, I do not have a problem with it. If it was a dodgy breeder, then I do have a problem.
My belief from my experiences at the shelter is it is not the good, responsible breeders creating the overpopulation problems we have. It is the backyard breeders, pet shops, and people who refuse to desex their animals. If the Obamas can try and make a point about the importance of seeking out a responsible, reputable breeder (especially given the expected rise in people wanting a water dog) I believe it will still have a positive effect for animal welfare.
I was expecting this actually. When I heard the Obama’s were looking for a PWD rescue, I started to look around to see how many were available. The numbers were so few, I started to think that the only way they could do this would be to contact a breeder and “rescue” one of the returned dogs.
I don’t have an issue with this. All dogs need homes, not just shelter dogs. My question is … was this a reputable breeder or a BYBer??
Hey, every dog needs a home. Just the thought of leaving a poo in the White House makes me all jiggy. Lucky dog!
We hear what you’re saying, and we believe in rescue and finding homes for shelter dogs. One of us is a rescue dog. But for heavens sake, let’s give the guy a break!!! He’s doing so much more than anyone before.
Why does everyone have to look for the hair in the soup???
we’re kind of agreeing with Jake & Harry and Dogs Deserve Freedom. we looked on petfinder for PWDs and just didn’t find any. then they need to make sure the dog is suitable for the children. we can understand their decision.
breeder dogs need good homes as much as rescue dogs do. maybe spaying and neutering need to be stressed so there there are not so many unwanted puppies born every year that ultimately end up in shelters.
we just want all dogs to have good homes.
woofs.
I’m with Jake, JH, and The 4B’s…
There really were few viable choices given their breed preference…
We just hope it doesn’t doom/khurse/etc the PWD breed like Snow Dogs did fur my kind!
Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
oops, forgot to sign that.
b safe,
~mama for rocky~
lol well, dont no where the comment went..
will come back tomorrow and do another one, its late and we sleepy…
While I would have preferred that the Obamas adopt a shelter dog, giving a dog returned to the breeder a second chance was a good choice, too, as long as it was a responsible breeder, and I think it must be.
Thank you everyone for your comments on this. I do understand where everyone is coming from. A “re-homed” dog may as well be a shelter dog, but I think I would feel better about it if Obama hadn’t come RIGHT OUT AND SAID they would be getting a shelter dog.
Anyhow, thank you so much for sharing your viewpoints here and I appreciate your feedback. And I am just glad that a previously homeless dog now has a home.
According to the Washington Post:
“The choice of a Portie raised one complication. The Obamas have long said they wanted a rescue dog. But the carefully bred PWDs almost never end up in shelters. Bo had been living with another family, but it wasn’t a good fit, so the Kennedys acquired him for the Obamas.
As for the rescue pledge, the Obamas came up with a solution intended to lend a serious symbolic note: They’re going to make a donation to the D.C. Humane Society.”
Full article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/11/AR2009041102484.html?sid=ST2009041202878
Maybe the answer is for all of us to encourage the Obama’s to continue their support of the D.C. Humane Society, and shelters/rescues.
There are plenty of hypoallergenic dogs besides PWDs. This was the easiest campaign promise to fulfill and he just didn’t pull through. Millions of dogs are euthanized every year in the US, so getting a dog from a breeder is sentencing one of those dogs to death. What a squandered opportunity.
What do you expect from a liar anyway. There’s no excuse, just like everything else he says.
Poof-Gone-No good explaination. Just as expected of Obama.
My darling cat just passed away recently after 16 years. I would always save a shelter animal if given the opportunity.
When will people realize that this man is a phony from beginning to end.
We agree with Deb. He broke a promise and sentenced a shelter dog to death in doing what he did. We are HUGELY disappointed and dont care how much money he gives the humane society. another dog still dies in Bo’s place. Shame on Kennedy too for buying from a breeder. he should know better too and should have respected obama’s wishes for a shelter dog. BOO HISS
We also agree with Deb and B&E. He made a promise to get a mutt like him, instead he ends up with a $2,000 purebred from a breeder. Shame on Obama AND even more so on Kennedy for this.
I realize the point others are trying to make here and respect that there ARE indeed reputable breeders in this country. However, this could have made SUCH progress for the plight of shelter pets, had he gone ahead and gotten a mutt from a shelter. VERY disappointing, lost some respect for him AND Kennedy on this one.
PS – Check this op-ed out:
http://www.examiner.com/x-5936-Animal-Advocacy-Examiner~y2009m4d13-President-Obama-disappoints-with-first-dog-pick
to answer your question, i believe the Obamas made the wrong move. They could have made huge waves in the world of animal adoption. I feel very let down. And I agree with B&E, this is partly Kennedy;s fault too.
I am so pleasantly suprised to see an honest dialogue on this. I too was hopeful that Obama would get a shelter dog…not just because it was a “campaign promise” but because it’s the right message to send to the country. I envisioned the outrage that would have come if Bush had done this same thing and was fearful that animal lovers would be labeled “political pundents” if we didn’t show that same outrage when Obama made his choice. Thanks for keeping our cause one that transends political affiliation and remains focused on the well-being of our animals…no matter who is involved.
But there a few other things to consider with a presidential dog than just allergies. Hypo-allergenic dogs are much in demand. There is also a temperament issue. This dog is going to be much in demand with the press and need to handle it gracefully. Now try to put all those things together in a search for an adoptable animal, put that search in a list of the Obamas Priorities and you end up with something that is hard to find and low priority. I think that the First family could have found the perfect dog in a shelter, but it would have taken a lot of time, a lot of resources, and there would have been a lot more criticism from the non-animal community about where a dog stands in the list of priorities.
But, before jumping on the choice of dog, ask why it was returned. Maybe it truly was a rescue, with bad habits and all. As long as it is fixed, I don’t really care where it came from
I am a little disappointed myself, but I guess he had the right to decide which dog is good for his family. Love, Dino