Add to that that V.P. Biden got a German Shepherd puppy from a puppy mill last December, you have a major let down for the rescue community. After taking heat for getting his puppy from a breeder, Biden promised to get a second dog from a shelter. That was on December 19. Looking on the Internet, it appears he never got that second dog.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the breeder he got the puppy from had been cited for several violations.
24 comments:
What makes you believe this is a puppy mill? I'm not an apologist for breeders, but not all breeders are puppy mills, and the fact that this one took back a puppy and is rehoming him indicates this is not a puppy mill. I can't see a puppy mill doing that.
Good breeder = Bad breeder = Puppy Mill, animals bred for profit creating more supply which leads to more shelter deaths.
I think the story about the puppy being returned is bogus. That way they can call it a "rescue." Obama promised to adopt a "mutt like me" from a shelter. He did not say he would get a pure bred animal from a breeder. He is not saving a life by adopting that dog. He's giving media exposure to the kennel and the Kennedy's who hooked him up.
The Obama's are getting their dog from a puppy mill? Seems a bit presumptuous don't you think? I don't recall there being a huge supply or demand for Portuguese Water Dogs.
Brad Jensen
Cypress,CA
There will be now.
Just a rumor but I heard that Rush Limbaugh wants one too now.
Brad Jensen
Cypress,CA
I'm disappointed that a breeder is involved too, but for the record, President Obama did not PROMISE to get a "mutt like me," he said that was their first preference, but that they also needed a dog that was hypoallergenic.
The problem is the involvement of the Kennedys and their bringing in their breeder. Unfortunately, it feels like the Obamas got swayed from a genuine rescue dog by the influence of the Kennedys (I'm a congenital Democrat, but I'm a little sick of the Kennedys and their entitled ways myself).
I think it was an undue influence because it seems to have firmly fixed the idea of a Portuguese Water Dog as the only possible breed. Yes, it's possible that there wasn't a PWD available at a shelter, but there were likely a lot of poodles, who are also hypoallergenic (not allergen-free, but low-allergen).
I wish the Kennedys had been able to resist the compulsion to exert their will once again, and to keep things going the way they've always known them. I'm sure in the world of Teddy Kennedy one never gets a dog from people one doesn't know. It's too bad that that way of thinking results in perfectly great dogs dying in shelters every day.
And no, a good breeder is not exactly equal to a puppy mill. Nevertheless, saying you love dogs, then breeding new ones while the ones who are already here are dying every single day I believe is wrong. I know breeders don't feel like they're doing anything wrong, I know they FEEL like they're doing a wonderful thing. But dogs are dying just because they're not some high-priced breed. That's wrong. The Obamas could have saved a dog from dying in a shelter, but instead they chose one who would have lived safely and happily no matter what.
The Obamas could have made a major statement about rescue. They could have made a change. I'm very, very disappointed that ultimately they decided to go the old way, the way of the self-designated "aristocracy," the Kennedy way.
Part of the reason "animal rights extremeists" have trouble creating change in the right direction is because they don't see the difference between a good breeder and bad breeder and a puppy mill...as Anon #1 says in her posting. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!! I am also disapointed Obama didn't get a true "rescue" dog, however if a breeder took responsibility for what he/she produced and took the dog back from the original home...THAT IS RESPONSIBLE. The dog didn't end up in a shelter. There are breeders who breed to better the breed, to provide dogs to people who want them from breeders who would NEVER EVER EVER adopt a rescue. That's okay. Puppymills are not. Dogs in puppymills don't have names, they are simply stock, used for profit. Good breeders keep their dogs as family members who are loved and cared for. There is a huge difference and the extreme people that can't see that and keep going after ALL breeders instead of the BAD and Puppy mill breeders are hurting animals in the long run.
Now, hopefully Obama will neuter the dog and publicize how important that is. We know people follow the guy..so he has the opportunity to do a lot of good there.
Very, very well said.
My comment at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/11/AR2009041102484_Comments.html#
...where you should all be commenting, too.
Jeff_delaRosa wrote:
Obama or Teddy could have single-handedly saved millions of dogs on death row in shelters. That was the plan. Now, there will be a run on PWDs by people who should not own PWDs. Remember this...Portugese Water Dogs will start appearing in shelters in 3-6 months. How many will die over this choice. So much for "a mutt like me."
Shame on you Ted, and shame on you Michelle and Barack.
You all need to get a life and concentrate on something besides where people get their dogs.
Jan,
The purpose of this blog is to look after animals who aren't valued.
The purpose of our being here is that we care what happens to animals in shelters.
The question is: why are YOU here? If you don't care if dogs who are already here are dying because people breed high-priced puppies, then you're here simply to attack what other people care about and work for. That doesn't say much for you.
Bravo, Boks = death.
The breeder involved sure sounds responsible to me. They took back a puppy from an owner who couldn't keep it, made sure it had a wonderful new home and kept it out of a shelter - thereby relieving the overloaded shelter workers. Would the dog have been more acceptable if the Obamas had found it in a shelter? Then the comments would have been how irresponsible the breeder was for not taking the dog back. The bottom line is that there is an attack on all forms of animal ownership in this country and if PETA and HSUS have their way, in a generation, there will be no dogs or cats living in any of our homes.
If every breeder took back dogs the owners couldn't keep, there would be no need for shelters. So, why not make that a requirement of selling a dog for any purpose? That would sure slow down the puppy mills and would have no ill effects on the truly responsible breeders because they are already doing that. Every responsible breeder I know has that provision in the contract already.
What you folks don't know about what constitutes responsible and irresponsible breeding would fill volumes. And Obama, poor man, would never have been able to make everyone happy with his choice, so he made his daughters happy. Good choice in my book!
"If every breeder took back dogs the owners couldn't keep, there would be no need for shelters."
That's possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen -and I've been around.
I think I have to modify my earlier comment stating that the breeder didn't seem like a puppy mill. I have seen a photo of the breeder's property, and there are huge barns. Looks suspiciously like a puppy mill. Probably not the worst of the worst if they take dogs back, but if they keep their dogs in a barn, it's a mill.
Just the same, the comment directly after mine that says "good breeder = bad breeder = puppy mill" is ridiculous. Although as I said, I'm not a fan of breeders, there are breeders who don't do it for the money, and in fact don't make any money at it. There IS a difference between these breeders and puppy mills.
I also wanted to clarify that I didn't mean my statement to sound as if I was condoning what the Obamas did. The Obamas have a responsibility to set an example, and they blew it.
Tina-Why would you make the assumption they keep dogs in the barns? That makes no sense. Barns do not equal puppy mills.
I do know breeders who verge on puppy mills that "ordinary" people buy dogs from because they are so completely ignorant, but I suspect this breeder was checked out in triplicate before agreeing to take a dog from them. Believe me, you would be hearing about it from other Portie people.
Yes, you are correct, it is an assumption. I hope that soon we will hear for certain what is in those barns, and that it isn't dogs. I would love for my assumption to be wrong.
#17
This is why the term "reputable breeder" is meaningless. Anyone who doesn't confine their breeder dogs in wire cages until they're spent, then abandon and kill them can insist they're "reputable."
But sorry, dogs are not a crop. I would say huge barns are a pretty darn good indication of a mill, where dogs are not loved, individually socialized and cared for as companions, but are instead treated like stock.
Yes, some places are pits infested with filth. Some places and breeders are worse than others. But all people who make their living off of dogs' reproduction have the same incentive, to have plenty of saleable stock on-hand.
And the bottom line is still that you cannot credibly say "I love dogs" then make more of a certain profitable breed while every single day dogs are dying.
All in all, I'd say "huge barns" is pretty much all anyone with an atom of good sense needs to know.
Huge barn = puppy mill? My sister's horse farm would have a huge laugh! Let's see, cows, goats, sheep, even tractors would never ever be kept in a barn, right????
Anonymous #17,
I completely agree with you, except for one thing. No, the term "reputable breeder" is not meaningless. Yes, anyone CAN insist they are "reputable" but they can also insist they are the man in the moon, but that doesn't make it so. A "reputable" breeder is someone who breeds VERY few litters, only has a few dog whom they keep indoors as members of the family, won't sell their dogs to just anyone, but checks out the potential homes, will always take back a dog at any time, and DOESN'T make a profit from the puppies. Anyone for whom breeding is a business IS a puppy mill.
You are right, dogs are not a crop. The only question about the barns was whether they actually had dogs in them or not. In all fairness, for all we know, they COULD be storage barns. But if there are dogs kept in the barns, of course it is a mill.
And although I've said it in my previous two comments, I feel the need to say it again: I am not pro-breeder, even "reputable" ones, for several reasons.
To those who think barns=puppy mills; You are OFF YOUR ROCKERS!!!! Truely insane and you make "animal rights" people look very bad and very crazy.
The breeders live in rural Texas where you can't find a property without a barn.
Their dogs are top winning show dogs who I can assure you DON"T LIVE IN BARNS.
Reality check here, the most important thing is not where you get a dog from but that its the right choice of a pet to live with you and your family for life.
If more people were careful about what dog they got none would be in shelters - that is right none! Dogs are in shelters because owners pick one that isn't right for them.
So why should anyone have complaints that the dog chosen is extremely likely to fit in the home perfectly?
And if you think there will be PWD everywhere - you don't know the breeders of that breed very well...
And gee, where I'm from, having one or more barns means you, or the people who built the place before you, have horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or other livestock not to mention hay, tractors, and other large bits of equipment that its nice to protect from the weather.
Or it may be you have an antique car collection or run a business on the property.
When dogs are in the barns they are there with their people because barns are cool places where manure, rodents, cats sometimes and the humans are there and might need a dog's help with something. Then they all go back to the house.
If you love your pet thank a breeder because without them you'd have no pets at all - which is what the AR fanatics want.
Why is it if you freaks purchace puppies which you do. They become miricles of wonder and no longer puppy mill dogs? There are more nasty dirty disease ridden rescues then there are puppy mills. Stop importing them from third world countries. stop buying them from real puppy mills like you people do. You are making too much profit from this term puppy mill. Stop breeding your mutts secretly which I know you do. Many rescues breed yes. Many rescues purchace dogs to resale oops I mean adopt. as for the idiot volenteers who do all the slave labor for free. Your bosses are allowed to pay themsleevs. Poor mouthing, and begging is the name of the game. If you see a rescue that is really poor most likely they are hoarders and filthy. If the Rescue CEO lives in a nice house and drives a nice car. Mcfly ever wonder where the money comes from. Good ole HSUS wanye makes over 6 figures creating the lies he creates he does not do that for free. There are way too many scamming rescues importing dogs, buying them and shipping them illeagally without health certs across state lines. The dirt behind closed doors of the rescue world is a hell of a lot deeper then the dirt of the breeding world. a USDA kennel is held responsiable for what they sell a rescue is not. They can sell parvo dogs all day long and blame it on the breeder. that is if a breeder was even involved. I have had rescues trying to sell me breeding dogs with papers. The scummy truth of the rescue world is coming out due to the greed involved. Forcing joe public to buy rehomed dogs is causing a lot of problems and fatailties. The number one source of dog bites which cause fatalities is from rescue dogs. wake up america these rescue freaks are none other then big brother. They use double speak. They are anti American and Anti human. They want omnivors to be forced vegean. They even want to turn carnivors into vegans. Animal rights actvist need to be locked up behind padded walls not taken seriously.
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