Put a Flea in His Ear
Help a Rescue Dog Be a Presidential Pup
On November 7, President-Elect Barack Obama gave his first press conference and revealed a single gap in his considerable knowledge base.
Obama promised his daughters a dog when the election ended, whichever way it went. He has said on various occasions that his family wants to rescue a shelter dog, but that it may be necessary to obtain a specific breed that is hypoallergenic as his older daughter, Malia, has allergies.
“Our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” Obama said during the conference. “So, whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”
With all due respect and appreciation, the president-elect is mistaken about who gets abandoned. Remember the dog pound scene in Lady and the Tramp? There were a Pekingese, a Chihuahua, a bulldog, and a number of other purebred dogs. More purebreds wind up in shelters and rescue groups than the new president may think. On the other hand, he’s been busy getting ready to run the country and he’s not reported to be an animal expert. So, that’s where we come in.
The AKC has already taken a survey of the breed that Obama should pick, and the family has probably heard from every registered breeder in the country, probably to offer free dogs. Let’s outnumber them and cast our vote for him not to buy while shelter dogs die. Best Friends and PETA have sent letters asking him not to be “elitist” in his choice, and the Humane Society of the United States has created an electronic card that you can sign by going to hsus.org, clicking the “Yes We Can (Adopt)” article in the third column and click on the photo of the card to sign it. Paste in a couple of Web sites from below if you want to have 15 minutes in an advisory capacity. Then, pass it on.
Obama did say during his speech that the selection of a dog had become a “major issue’ and that there have been more comments on their Web site than any other issue. We at the Pet Post want to thank our new president and his family for making this a major issue, as well as a family decision.