Obama puppy debut

[CountAllVotes]

cartoon I guess you'd say.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/telnaes04142009.html

Says all I could ever say about the puppy named "Bo".

:(

:dem:

[luvspeas]

1. Would you please relax and go protest a Disney movie...

Let's see, how many breeds of dog have they sent to the puppy mills...
Dalmatian
Cocker Spaniel
Chihuahua
Basset Hound
Beagle
Saint Bernard

And what about all of those poor mice?

ANY dog they obtained would be fodder for irreputable breeders. I'm sure they would try to create a designer mutt if the Obamas had chosen a mixed breed. I am not going to stress over a nice decent responsible family deciding to purchase/obtain/accept (whatever) a dog for their allergic kids. They could have just said "no way" like many people do. Lots of people buy pets from breeders and they take good care of their pets.

Go do something to help the pets you are so unhappy about and step away from the keyboard.

[CountAllVotes]

3. I am doing plenty already

and educating people about puppy mills is just one of them. "Bo" is your typical puppy mill puppy. Didn't fit in the first home he was in - probably some sort of behavioral problems which is not uncommon with mill dogs.

Makes me rather sick. What about the Portuguese Water Dog rescue? Why the hell didn't they try this place first?

I realize the dog was a "gift" but nonetheless, breeders are breeders and far too many of do this.

:dem:

[Debi]

8. How do you know why the first owners didn't want the dog?

Or are you just making it up to fit your protest of dogs that come from professional breeders and your presumtion that all professional breeders run puppy mills?

[CountAllVotes]

10. that was part of the story

I guess you haven't been following it as closely as I have been.

[Debi]

16. Since you've been following the story so closely

could you please provide me a link or two to stories about the dog being returned to the 'puppy mill' breeder because of behavioral problems?

[northernlights]

23. and you are basing that assumption on?

Puppy mill breeders do not contract for returns if a situation does not work out. Responsible breeders do.

Bo's original purchasers got him to replace an elderly PWD that had passed on, and to keep their remaining elderly PWD company. They discovered that the elderly PWD was upset by Bo's high energy and was growling at him. After 2 months, the relationship between the 2 had not improved. They decided that it would be best to return Bo to the breeder for rehoming so the elderly dog could live out her life in peace.

And it ocurred to me, after reading the interview in which Bo's breeder explained the circumstances, that sometimes elderly dogs get pretty darn cranky (and even senile). We had a couple elderly dogs at the local dog park who disliked each other get into it. *Both* owners ended up badly bitten by their own dogs while pulling them off each other. So it's entirely possible that the they returned Bo *for his own safety.*

Personally, I would have preferred that the Obama's stuck to their plan to get a rescue dog -- there are *tons* of hypoallergenic dogs in rescues that match their requirements. But maybe for the totally inexperienced, a well started puppy from a reputable breeder is the better option.

[Debi]

26. Were you responding to me?

:shrug:

[janx]

12. You are assuming that Bo was returned because he was a

mill puppy with behavioral problems? Are you kidding?

Porties are tightly regulated both in regard to breeding and adoption. There are many possibilities as to why the pup was returned. Why do you assume that the problem was on his part rather than on the part of the people who adopted him?

[luvspeas]

13. For someone supposedly following this SO CLOSELY...

You are adding many emotional and extreme value judgements to this particular situation. You are batshit crazy if you think "Bo" is your typical puppy mill puppy. YOu don't know much about puppy mills. Then to assume at he didn't fit in the first home he was in - probably some sort of behavioral problems which is not uncommon with mill dogs. That's just extreme.

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Did you not read about BO? This dog was bred by one of the top PWD breeders in the country!

His brother or sister was purchased by Ted Kennedy. Bo was purchased and was returned because the puppy was bugging the older PWD. The breeder is quoted as saying they are worried that puppy mills will start investing in the breed now that Bo has gone to the WH.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

25. He was returned to the breeder

Puppy millers don't take back puppies and rehome them. And most responsible breeders have a clause that if the dog is to be ever given up, it's returned to the breeder.

Neither of my dogs are puppy mill dogs, and they were both given up as puppies. Basically, just because they were bought by people who had no business getting a Border Collie. I got them both through informal rescue.

Unfortunately, my experience with an official rescue was absolutely horrifying, and we had to return the dog to the rescue. I know the vast majority of rescues aren't like that, but I would never recommend anyone get a dog from the rescue we went through.

Oh, and PWDs are rarely mill dogs. One of the few breeds fighting the good fight against the AKC.

[MiniMe]

27. And the puppy was returned to the breeder per the contract

A contract that good breeders have and puppy mill breeders don't. I support what you do with puppy mills all the way, but I don't consider Bo a puppy mill dog.

We just got this notice from my rescue yesterday: If you have crates you are not using for fostering, please bring them on Sunday - we need crates for a massive transport that we are doing on Monday to move over 40 dogs from a breeder that has been shut down. Look for follow-up emails about these dogs, but just wanted to get all the crates we could.


Now that breeder is a puppy mill breeder.

[JoDog]

2. My hope is

that the fact that the breeding stock of Porties is so small in the US, and mostly in the hands of show breeders, this will not happen.

[CountAllVotes]

5. you can hope this is true

I thought the same about the Shetland Sheepdog and then I found out the truth the hard way. :puke: :(

[Lorien]

4. Sadly true

having worked in pet rescue, I know that ANY kind of purebred dog and most purebred cat breeds can be found through rescue organizations-including puppies. So often puppies are purchased from a pet store or breeder, then dumped at a no kill rescue a few weeks later when the new owners decide that a puppy is too much work. I think that if the Obamas had gotten one from a shelter they would have sparked a huge awareness about the availability of purebred pets at rescues.

[CountAllVotes]

7. you are so right

I have a cat that I got at a no-kill rescue and he appears to be a pure bred flame point siamese. He's a nasty old sucker (had him for 8+ years now) but I love him anyway. :evilgrin:

:dem: :kick:

[merh]

21. You know if for a fact?

Seriously, do you know for a fact that there are porties in shelters in need of rescue? Can you find us one so we can try to help it?

While you are at it, please check out the PWDCA.org website and their rescue efforts. And please read post 17.

[peace13]

6. I think BO's breed is tightly regulated.

Probably do not need to worry. By the way do you have anyone in your family with allergies or Asthma. If you do I am surprised that you do not understand how important the dog choice was. It would be worse if they got a dog that made Malia ill and had to return it. I can hear your cries at that one. ...I wonder how the troops are doing in Iraq today?

[CountAllVotes]

9. the dog has been dumped once already

didn't work out was the story. Who knows the reality?

If they "had" to have one of these - they could have checked here and kept the promise to adopt a rescue Portuguese Water dog:

http://www.pwdca.org/breed/rescue/

[peace13]

11. And your point is? n/t

[janx]

14. Dumped where?

? :shrug:

[luvspeas]

15. you are delusional...nt

[Debi]

20. Dumped?

Or returned to the breeder so a suitable home could be found for the dog?

[northernlights]

24. oh criminies -- Bo was NOT DUMPED

You really are just making this up as you go along, aren't you?

Bo is high energy. His original owner's elderly PWD was upset by him. After 2 months, the relationship was not improving, so they contacted his breeder and arranged to return/rehome him.

Or do you think they should have just killed their elderly PWD to make room for Bo? Sheesh... :eyes:

[MiniMe]

28. Returning the dog to the breeder is hardly dumping

[merh]

17. You are so full of it

Go find something legitimate to frown about (torture policy and wiretapping come to mind - DADT and the health care do too).

You don't have a clue about the breeder that Kennedy got the Obama's dog from or the breeders of the Porteguese Water Dogs. (Remember, Bo was a gift, Kennedy gave it to the Obama's. )

Here is a little FYI for you - the folks that do breed Porties are very protective of the breed and they do care. From the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.

PWDCA Rescue & Relocation Program


The primary responsibility of the Rescue & Relocation Program is to help all PWD's that are in need of a new home. We have had PWD's that have been found in shelters, turned in by owners, advertised for sale in a local paper, and found wandering the streets with no identification. We make every effort to find out who the breeder is, but many times this is not a possibility. When we can determine the breeder, we will inform him/her and expect them to either take the dog back, or to help with the expenses we incur in placing the dog. When the breeder is not known, then we will take full responsibility for the dog, and do our best to place it in a suitable new home. We will spay/neuter if necessary, as no dog will be placed through rescue unless this is done. We will also have a health checkup on the dog, and bring all shots up to date if necessary. We will CERF the dog if possible.

The secondary responsibility of the Rescue & Relocation Program is to help owners who are having problems with their dogs. There are many times when we get calls from owners that do not want to give up on their dog, but are having a problem and don't know where else to turn. If Rescue can help these owners, then we feel we have helped to prevent a dog from being turned over to our Rescue program.

We will follow up on all dogs to insure that the placement is working out, and will take back any dog that the new owner is not happy with.

All club members can help with Rescue by checking their local papers for any dogs that are advertised, checking their local shelters if possible, and becoming "mentors" to new owners. This is especially important when a PWD has been sold to an owner who resides in a different part of the country than the breeder.

If any club member is aware of a dog that is in need of rescue, they should advise the owner to contact their breeder, if possible. This should be done before Rescue is contacted. If contacting the breeder is not a possibility, or if the breeder declines to help, or cannot help, then Rescue should be contacted.

http://www.pwdca.org/breed/rescue/

During one of the debates about this non-issue issue, I had challenged other posters to find a portie that needed adoption in any shelter. Two posters linked me to dogs in North Carolina and Washington DC.

I, in turn, contacted the PWDCA Rescue coordinator and those dogs have been adopted or their adoptions are in the works. (one was a portie mix).

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13456324
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13456337
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13477448

See, Obama didn't adopt from a shelter but because of Bo and the news about the pup, 3 dogs have been saved.

Why not go focus on the shelter dogs and find them homes, do something for yourself to make that frown turn upside down.

[Are_grits_groceries]

18. I don't have a link but,

the puppy was returned because there was an older dog. The two didn't work out together.

[Debi]

19. Here you go

http://t.love.com/204147186

<snip>

Eventually he was placed with a woman in Washington, Stern said. She renamed him Charlie. Alas, it wasn't to be a happy home.

The woman - who has not been identified - has an older Portie, Martha Stern said, and that playful little scamp Charlie was getting on the other dog's nerves. Charlie thought the older dog might be his mommy, and even attempted to nurse, Stern said. Finally, early in March, the woman decided enough was enough.

Charlie needed to find a new home.

Portie breeders tend to be a careful lot, and they insist on finding new homes for unwanted pups to assure they don't end up in shelters. Rejected by his first family, Charlie was about to set on a journey that took him to The First Family.

<snip>

+++++

An older dog and a rambunctious new puppy....not quite the puppy mill behavior that the OP is touting. :eyes: