According to various sources, the Obamas are looking into getting a rescue dog. Which is awesome. I'm just wondering why I had to go to the BBC to find that out as opposed to our own free press.
I suspect it has something to do with if the press says "Adopt a shelter dog!" then all those breeders will get angry. But hey, it'd at least be responsible for the press to say "Adopt a shelter dog!" if not only because it's been proven that when a specific breed is in the eye of the public, EVERYONE has to have one. It happens when presidents get pets (especially if their public rating numbers are high--so the Obamas getting a dog before getting to the White House is going to be MUCH more influencial than say Bush getting a dog right now), it happens when movies come out starring our furry friends (didn't Dalmatian demand double when 101 Dalmations came out?--the live action movie, not the cartoon), it even happens when there are news reports about specific breeds.
So, here's your public announcement for the day: If you're going to adopt a pet, please, please, please think about adopting a rescue. If you want a specific breed, good news! they have these things called 'breed specific rescues' which means you can get a pure bred pet that is a rescue.
And yes, I know what you're going to say--rescues are damaged goods. But there's no guarantee that the pure breed you're going to get is going to be any better than a rescue. As with all things that come from sexual reproduction, it's really all a crap shoot.
My family's large pets have always come to us; we've never had to go get one. The golden retreiver mix we had when I was small literally showed up on my parent's doorstep. Our cocker spaniel was running around a Holiday Inn on a trip to Wichita (severely malnourished). And our current pet, Cat, was hanging out by the ATM at our office.
ReplyDeleteI don't get people that buy pets. It seems wrong to pay for a life (I'm cool with shelter fees since they pay for medical stuff that would cost 3 times as much if you were paying for it yourself). I have bought small pets; mice and lots of fish, but they are so cheap most of the cost is wrapped up in their upkeep until you buy them.
Anyways, there are always a lot of lost and abandoned pets running around that need good homes!
I don't worry too much about our press I hear about it from a source in the states. I also heard that one of his daughters are highly allergic to dogs so they need to find on that doesn't shed.
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