It's a Dog Eat Dog Media Frenzy

In the morning, because I am from the tech-gen (sort of), I click on Google News and browse the top headlines from the US and the World. On a side note, I most certainly do have a subscription to the local newspaper; however, I let my neighbor devour it each morning as I'm more inclinded to surf the Internet in the morning. So anyway, most shockingly, one of the top headline subjects in Google's US news this week is the breed of dog the president has chosen for his family. For two days in a row, in fact, his dog choice has come in at numbero uno.

What strikes me most about this topic is that people seem to comment quite vehemently on whether or not the president and the vice president chose pets from a shelter or from some breeder. In Pres. Obama's case, the little paper-eating, energetic, low-shedding Portugese Water Dog was a good fit for their family's high-energy lifestyle, and for their daughter's pet fur allergies. While one might attest to the fact that there are plenty of doggies in the shelter which might fit such a standard, I also want to add that this little pooch was supposedly a gift.

Okay, all that background info aside, I admit that my verdict is not quite out on whether Pres. Obama is the true bonafied "Go" man for whom I've voted eagerly; however, I don't think his family's decision to by-pass the shelter shows a shadowy inclination to break promises (he'd promised to search the shelters for the family doggie). I am dissappointed, I'll admit, but I'm not sour. I personally prefer to adopt adult pets from the Humane Society because they are usually great companions who are already well-trained and loyal. Aside from that reason, I also believe most people prefer to adopt puppies and kittens, so I like to adopt a bit older pets if I'm going to adopt. With all that said, sometimes I'm presented with the opportunity to befriend a furry pal who doesn't hail from the shelter. I would probably go for Bo, too, if I were the Obama's.

Now on to Mr. Biden, who has secured a German Shepherd from a breeder. This bit of news was particularly interesting to me for a personal reason. You see, the first family dog I remember having was a dog we got as a stray. We named him Poncho. Though we didn't buy him from a breeder, nor did he have any papers, he was most definately German Shepherd. Well, the vet said he was at least 99.9 percent German Shepherd, as he had a spotted tongue and may have been the result of a chow mingling with some German Shepherd family. Poncho was a very cool dog. I've never seen such an agile creature! He spoiled us in our expectations of all other mutts we've ever owned. He'd jump clear into the window of my dad's pick-up truck. He was an awesome protector, and most benevolent companion. He passed away at only 6 years old, and his successor was a chubby black-lab mix we obtained from the local Humane Society. We've since had other stray dogs as well as one pure-bred castaway Pomeranian.

My family has always been stray dog lovers. We simply love animals, and my mom has been known to harbour the most motley of mutts. She feeds them, gaurds their hearts, pampers them, gives them rides, and lets them rule the house. Our first search outlet for a new pet is almost ALWAYS the animal shelter. Recently; however, as my mom's beloved male dog Sebastian died in his ripe old age of 14 years old, she's admitted to wanting a German Shepherd. Surprisingly, she's contacted local breeders in search of a new German Shepherd puppy. We'll probably never find another "Poncho," at the local shelter, but we're always on the lookout. My mom wants a protective dog; a loyal companion. It's for this reason, I was amused that the Biden's chose to buy a German Shepherd from a breeder. It is for that same reason that I am empathetic toward the Bidens.

The truth is, certain breeds do have certain characteristics which meld well with our family desires for a pet. Breeders make a living from such enterprise, and to completely boycott such endeavors may not be the most fruitful way to save homeless pets. It's true that more folks should adopt from shelters, but it is not necessarily a sin to buy a pet from a respectable breeder.

Buying a pure-bred does have its pitfalls. I don't deny that. Breeding dogs for purity means keeping the genetic gene pool pretty stagnant througout the family blood-line. Not only are all the cool character traits passed down the line, but so too are genetic problems, such as poor eyesight, hip problems, cancer, Etc. For example, German Shepherds and Collies are suceptible to hip dysplasia. A 99.9% pooch, such a Poncho, might decrease that possibility. If he were to breed with a pure-bred, he might pass along a spot on the tongue, but his pups might have been fairly perfect German Shepherds otherwise. Doing so might also decrease the chances for the passage of whatever common genetic disorders his breed has (unless Chows have those same problems, which I really don't know, as I'm no doggy expert).

So, all I'm saying is buying a pure-bred dog isn't a total sin. I'm not sure why there is such hoopla over such action. I definately encourage people to search the Humane Society for their next pet, but it's not always necessary.