Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Obama will adopt--not buy a dog



I thought this was a great post-election story about our president-elect:

Along with picking his Cabinet, finding just the right people for his White House staff and deciding what to do about two wars, President-elect Barack Obama has one other decision to make: which dog to get for daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

In a way, the Obamas already have done the heavy lifting on that one.

After announcing they planned to buy a dog as a reward for their daughters being such good sports about the grueling campaign, animal rights and animal welfare groups started campaigns of their own — for the Obamas to adopt a shelter dog and not buy a dog from a breeder.

PETA's president sent them a letter. Best Friends Animal Society launched a petition drive on the Web site www.obamafamilydog .com that collected 50,000 signatures in just two weeks. The Humane Society of the United States made an appeal.

The American Kennel Club, the registry for purebred dogs, supported the first couple-elect's initial decision to buy a dog from a breeder.

More than 42,000 Americans voted in AKC's poll to determine the right breed of dog. The winner: the poodle, chosen from five hypoallergenic breeds so as not to irritate Malia and Sasha's allergies.

Then the news broke on "Entertainment Tonight" a little over a month ago: Michelle Obama announced the family would, indeed, adopt a rescue dog. The Obama campaign did not return a phone call Wednesday regarding the first pet, but Obama confirmed in his acceptance speech that his girls would get their dog.

The first family-elect has millions of shelter dogs to choose from. Between 6 million and 8 million dogs and cats end up in shelters every year; about half of them have to be euthanized, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

"We are very pleased to hear that President-elect Obama has decided to adopt a puppy from an animal shelter," said Jon Cicirelli, deputy director of the San Jose Animal Care Center. "Our residents can follow his lead and ask themselves if they, too, can make a difference in the life of a homeless animal. We say, 'Yes, you can!



I have adopted 2 great pound dogs. www.petfinder.com is a great site where you can search for the dog you want by breed. Here is the ad for our pup, Hannah the Dog that we rescued a year and a half ago. Good thing we got her when we did. They were about to sell her to a hunting compound run by Sarah Palin and some helicopter company.

10 comments:

alzaido alzaido said...

I love having a leader that starts things off by setting a good example. I found my son Charlie on petfinder.com too. For any IE readers thinking about getting a pet, consider cross breeds first. Pure-lines were created and are maintained through inbreeding. Inbreeding increases the chances of genetic disease exponentially. So much so that it has been banned and is frowned upon within the human population.

Lianne said...

Thanks for the shout-out! Adopting a shelter dog is definitely the most humane choice, and would help to stop just a little bit of the suffering that millions of homeless animals endure. Learn more about how you can help here: http://www.helpinganimals.com/ga.asp

puddy said...

great pic of hannah. i didn't realize petfinder leaves the adoption posting up for so long. very cool.

alzaido alzaido said...

That's a pic of Jaida, not Hannah Montana.

puddy said...

jaida = hannah

alzaido alzaido said...

I'm no mathematician, but those quotients do not seem equal.

puddy said...

you sense an inequity?

Kup said...

Alz- Thats Hannah Bannana to you.

Puddy- What do you mean by inequity?

puddy said...

Dictionary: inequity (ĭn-ĕk'wĭ-tē)

n., pl. -ties.
Injustice; unfairness.
An instance of injustice or unfairness: discerned some inequities in the criminal justice system.

Life As I Know It Now said...

excellent! all of our animals are throw-a-ways, all 10 of them!