Free to Choose--Even a Dog!

The last time I checked, I was living in the United States of America. Right? We are the land of the free and home of the brave, but it seems recently so many groups have been acting as though we are not a free people that I just have to scratch my head. The thing is this: we should be able to pick out a dog or any other pet from whomever, wherever we choose. The President of the United States should also be allowed to pick his family pet--the one that best fits with his family--from a breeder or a shelter. Why should this be such a big deal? Of course finding that one miserable, scrappy little creature who is on the list to be euthanized; who is, at the last minute picked as the pet for a loving family would be the animal rescue people's choice. What a great, heartwarming story to have had the First Family swoop in and rescue a needy dog! Sure, I agree. I am all for rescuing dogs. I have a dog (a purebred, by the way) who was given up by 5 different families who couldn't handle her--and that was all before she even turned 6 months old--s0, all you animal rescue people--I get it. What I don't get is how pushy you sound when you whine about the President getting a purebred dog from a breeder. Sometimes there isn't a rescue dog that is appropriate for the family. I had a terrible time finding a dog when we were looking. We were told that the dogs we were interested in were either already being considered by another family, or that small dogs weren't appropriate for small children (I had a three year old at the time), or that the dog had behavior problems--all sorts of obstacles were in our way. I ended up adopting a dog from a foster pet group and we have had our little Parson Russell Terrier for five years now. So, I am for shelter dogs. I wanted a shelter dog, but it just didn't work out. I ended up with an unwanted purebred--is that so unlike the Obama family? The President would surely have been criticized if he and his family had chosen a shelter dog just to appease the folks who are rescue advocates, and then had to return the dog because it wasn't right for the family. Apparently, the dog they picked had been returned to the breeder because it wasn't a good addition to that particular family. I would think that any dog or cat or bird or hamster who is purchased, adopted or otherwise obtained; who is given a chance at a decent, comfortable life would be the goal of all animal lovers. Does it really matter where the dog started it's life? This is America and all of us, including the President, should be able to get a family pet without fear of being criticized for their choice. It's a personal choice, not an outside committee decision. Good grief!