Obama: "mutts, like me." And Finally.. In Dog We Trust

Obama's Pet: "And Finally.. In Dog We Trust"

In his victory acceptance speech, Barack Obama announced the future arrival of a new presidential puppy. His subsequent remarks proved problematic, though not Palinesque. He said, "Our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me."

A bizarre statement in several regards:

1) As Diane Wilkerson of the ASPCA explained, it is not true that one finds no purebreds in shelters. Unfortunately, she revealed herself to be only quasi-literate when she called that belief a "misnomer" (presumably she meant misconception).

2) The real question for both the eloquent Mr. Obama and the tongue-tied Ms. Wilkerson should have been: What is wrong with a mutt?

Good for Obama for jokingly applying the term to himself (many of us could share in that designation): But if diversity is good enough for humans, then why not for dogs? The emphasis on pure lines and pedigrees, though of some obvious utility in competitions, has done at least as much harm as good. Anyone familiar with German Shepherds and the hip problems arising from inbreeding will know what I am talking about. And it's also worth noting that the Shepherd (we don't need to get into the difference between American and German-not to mention, East and West German--lines here) is a relatively new designation, dating only from the end of the 19th century (1899, to be precise).

Is the canine world--which is, of course, to say: their owners (dogs are famously happy to be dogs and could teach us all many a lesson)--one of the last popular bastions (few of us own race horses, no pun intended) of respectable "racial" thinking?

The Obamas perhaps have an excuse in that the children have allergies to dog fur. According to the Chicago Tribune, the family is “leaning toward a goldendoodle,” a hypoallergenic hybrid of a golden retriever and a poodle. Other fans have suggested the Peruvian Hairless, a rather grotesque-looking creature (I hope someone knows or tells the Obamas that these dogs often have skin problems, which may be no picnic for the kids, either, and that the genetic selection process may not be the most humane in the world; oh, yeah: these animals are also often short on teeth). And while we're on the subject, although it's interesting to note that this was once the favorite of the now-vanished Incan royalty, is that a good example to follow in any regard?

My own dog, who is both a mutt and a shelter dog, is a Shepherd mix (with ample fur--as my wife can attest--and a fine set of teeth, which he, however, uses only for good and never for evil), whose intelligence and good nature are unrivaled. As it happens, he came to the shelter because a family whose children--like the Obama children--proved to be allergic had to give him up. By pure good chance, he went from one loving home to another within the space of a day, but few dogs can count themselves so lucky.

The Dakin Animal Shelter, where we obtained him, is a non-kill shelter, I should stress, but even if animals are not being killed (and many are), it is still a tragedy to see them abandoned and homeless. It would be a shame, were a president so notably committed to compassion and openmindedness even inadvertently to prejudice the population against shelters and shelter dogs when more animals than ever are in need. Already the current economic crisis is leading to a marked influx of deliveries to shelters, from families who feel they can no longer care for their animals.



Here's to mutts of all species.