First puppy drawing criticism

Well, the cat’s out of the bag or, I guess that should be the pup’s out. I think all the world knows by now that the new puppy in the White House is going to be Bo -- a six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog. The little fellow (or not so little) is a gift to the Obama family from Senator Ted Kennedy who has been a Portuguese Water Dog-lover for a long time.

You’d think that people would be happy that Malia and Sasha are going to finally have the puppy that they’ve been wanting for so long but you’d be wrong. The Internet is lit up today with messages attacking the Obamas for getting a dog of their choice. Even people who have been ardent Obama supporters are now vilifying him for not getting a shelter dog.

Here are the facts:

1. Malia Obama is allergic to dogs. That severely limits the choice of dog for the family. They had to get a dog that her allergies would allow her to be around. Although some mixes and hybrids are described as hypoallergenic that is often a misnomer. In the case of the Labradoodle, they can have at least three types of hair -- curly, straight like human hair, and a wavy mix in between. Some of them may be hypoallergenic but some are not. It varies in each litter. They are not a breed and do not “breed true” with the same characteristics showing up in each puppy. To find a hypoallergenic Labradoodle the Obamas would have had to do a search that involved meeting individual dogs and ruling them out -- not very practical for such a busy family.

2. Visiting shelters to meet dogs was impractical for Malia or anyone with dog allergies. Think about it: if you are allergic to dogs the last place you should go is an animal shelter.

3. The Obamas and every other family and individual have a right in this country to choose the pet that they want, whatever its source. No one should be forced to get a dog from a shelter or rescue out of guilt. And whatever happened to the belief that you should actually try to get the happiest, healthiest puppy you could find? That still seems to be a good idea to me.

4. Once the family decided upon the Portuguese Water Dog, which is an excellent choice for someone who has allergies, it was highly unlikely that they would find such a dog in a shelter or even in rescue. The Portie is not a very numerous breed and its breeders are responsible, ethical people who have contracts with their buyers. They take back any puppy or dog who does not work out in their home. That means if you want a Portuguese Water Dog, you most likely have to go through a breeder to get one.

5. Contrary to what some AR nut jobs have been posting, this breeder is not a “puppy mill.” She’s a long-time breeder (70 years old) and highly respected. This puppy comes from champion breeding. He’s an AKC-registered purebred.

So, all I can say to the ARs who are whining and throwing mud at this puppy is suck on it. It’s really none of your business. The family did their homework and they made a responsible decision for their child and family. That led them to conclude that a particular breed from a good breeder was the best choice.

You can find out more about Bo from the friendly and polite AKC spokespersons who will be holding news briefings on Monday, April 13.