Friday
Nov072008
The Obamas will rescue the new First Dog soon...
Friday, November 7, 2008 at 07:03AM
...and Barney is grumpy about that.
Looks to me like he's a little grumpy about his pending move! Many thanks to @engnr_chik for this video.
But seriously, I'm thrilled to hear that the Obamas plan to adopt their first dog. Upon further reading it's not quite clear if they will adopt from a shelter, but i'm crossing my fingers. Of course rescue dogs are near and dear to my heart since adopting Jango over 4 years ago!
I tend to be preachy about the millions of dogs in shelters that need a homes, but it's just a fact that cannot be ignored. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem. Just glance at the "Pets" section on craigslist and you'll see plenty of URGENT listings from shelters.
Please think about your lifestyle before adopting a dog. Think realistically about the time you have to devote to a four-legged family member. Do your research and don't get a puppy just because they are cute. Puppies take a lot of hard work to raise and need you to be their leader. Lots of dogs in shelters that are 1-3 yrs old will not only lead long healthy lives, but are housebroken!
Please consider shelter animals before you go to a breeder. Please.
E
PS - I think the puppy cam is cute, but I'll be less enthused if these dogs come from a breeder.
PPS - If you only want to go the pure-breed route, then read @engnr_chik's comments below. She makes good points on what to consider.
PPPS - this afternoon Barack Obama addressed the puppy issue at his first press conference post-election. How timely was this post?
Looks to me like he's a little grumpy about his pending move! Many thanks to @engnr_chik for this video.
But seriously, I'm thrilled to hear that the Obamas plan to adopt their first dog. Upon further reading it's not quite clear if they will adopt from a shelter, but i'm crossing my fingers. Of course rescue dogs are near and dear to my heart since adopting Jango over 4 years ago!
I tend to be preachy about the millions of dogs in shelters that need a homes, but it's just a fact that cannot be ignored. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem. Just glance at the "Pets" section on craigslist and you'll see plenty of URGENT listings from shelters.
Please think about your lifestyle before adopting a dog. Think realistically about the time you have to devote to a four-legged family member. Do your research and don't get a puppy just because they are cute. Puppies take a lot of hard work to raise and need you to be their leader. Lots of dogs in shelters that are 1-3 yrs old will not only lead long healthy lives, but are housebroken!
Please consider shelter animals before you go to a breeder. Please.
E
PS - I think the puppy cam is cute, but I'll be less enthused if these dogs come from a breeder.
PPS - If you only want to go the pure-breed route, then read @engnr_chik's comments below. She makes good points on what to consider.
PPPS - this afternoon Barack Obama addressed the puppy issue at his first press conference post-election. How timely was this post?
Reader Comments (6)
As per Eileen's recommendation to post this here:
Why NOT adopt a dog? There's no need to pay $1000 for a new one, when the same is available for free, or $100. And they'll love you more. Isn't it funny how dogs know that something's wrong, and they're on death row, or such? They're so happy to come home with you and just play.
I totally failed to point that out in my post Allen.
Jango's adoption was $150 paid to Rocket Dog Rescue (a non-profit organization), which was even tax-deductible!
Eileen -
This is a great post, and you are so correct, the pet over-population problem is not only sad, but it is disturbing to see how our society sees these animals as disposable.
"I'll get a dog and when it poops on the rug, I will just get rid of it"
I have worked with several LA area shelters and many of these animals that are dumped have done nothing more then had the misfortune of finding an "owner" who didn't understand the responsibility.
Dogs, especially, have been bred for hundreds of years to REQUIRE human companionship, so something else I wanted to add is that getting a dog to sit in your backyard is also not cool. Like you said, if you are thinking of getting a dog, make sure you have the time and desire to spend time with them daily, and allow them to be a part of your life, not just a noise maker at the end of a leash in the backyard.
I congratulate the Obamas, for setting a fine example in this regard, and hopefully this will put a much needed spotlight on this countries animal shelters.
--
Stephen (darthweef)
Eileen and Allen, I absolutely agree on all the great reasons to adopt a pound puppy, but as the owner of one mutt and one pure bred Jack Russell, I have to defend my terrier as just as adorable and deserving of love. I'm better educated now about rescuing/adopting pure breeds than I was 10 years ago, so it's doubtful that I would buy a puppy again, but I also feel it's important to point out that not all dog breeders are the devil.
For those who can't be talked out of getting a pure breed puppy, there are some really important things worth discussing as this really covers discussion of decent treatment of ALL animals, pure and mixed breeds.
Meet the breeder in person, spend a little time with him or her. It's like a job interview. You want to get a dog from a responsible person, and a responsible breeder will be concerned about you being able to raise a dog. If the breeder is only concerned with the financial transaction, you should just walk away.
Ask to meet the parents and litter mates. Puppies will learn a lot from them, you can learn a lot from them too. Also, a responsible breeder will have nothing to hide, and will understand why you are making the request. You want to see the environment the puppy is being raised in, if the breeder makes excuses or refuses, you should walk away.
When I bought my Jack, I made 3 trips to the breeder's ranch: first, I met the mom when she was pregnant, and the dad; second, just after the pups were born and (omg 2 week old Jack Russells are soooo cute!); and third, to bring my girl home when she was 8 weeks old.
Concerning the puppy-cam you linked to, I can't personally vouch for the person who owns them, and there's no info on the site indicating that he/she sells the puppies, but the fact that there is a camera on the puppies for such a long period is a good thing, I think. They are healthy looking, they socialize well, that camera is on pretty much all day, you get to see the mom come in and feed them and interact with them. They look very happy!
The somewhat apocalyptic path the pet industry has taken over the years has basically lead to over-population and a giant pet perk industry. The billions spent on packs of pure-breeds- and the the billions not spent on strays and mix-breeds needs to be balanced out- and minimized. I love dogs- cats less so- but I love dogs. But please- we don't need an excess of these animals- nor do we need to spend an excess.
Adopt your dog if at all possible- think hard about any desires for anything else. Even show dogs are alive- and thus- exist in a different place than collector cars or plates. The world has limited ability to support them and their offspring- and if pet owners and pet want-ers want it to be continually viable for them to have pets- they're going to have to constrain both they and their pets consumption.
Go donate to a human or animal food shelter instead of buying that third Afghan pure bred puppy.
Great comments, all! Our darling boy is a purebred Golden retriever from a reputable breeder who also shows her dogs. We chose to go this route for temperament and non-allergenic reasons (both DS and I have asthma). We're active supporters of GR rescue, which led us to this breeder. Also, TIMING was important to us - wanted a puppy who could come to us at the beginning of the summer when I was off and had time to train him. We have a dog door for easy out during the day if I get home later than usual from school. Most important, LOVE AND PLAY WITH your new family member.