Updated to add:
Here’s the exact quote; early accounts of the press conference on the internets only had partial transcripts:
With respect to the dog. This is a major issue. I think it’s generated more interest on our web site than just about anything. We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, on the other hand our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But obviously a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household.
Also irksome is the reporter’s phrasing of the question: “everyone wants to know what kind of dog are you going to buy for the girls?” Because purchasing a sentient being as if it’s a microwave or couch is the only way to bring an animal into your home, dontchaknow?
Idiot man-child Chris Matthews echoed this sentiment even after playing Obama’s response just now. Dolt.
Finally, “hypoallergenic” as it relates to dogs should really be in scare quotes; as both Elaine and the Wiki entry I link to below note, there’s no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. However, there are a number of steps that those living with animals and allergies can take to minimize the misery. Shane has asthma, and we manage with five dogs and a cat. (Likewise, my mother has asthma, and has lived with dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and turtles…though not all at the same time!)
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During President-elect Obama’s first press conference this afternoon, he was asked about that puppy he promised daughters Malia and Sasha:
“With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. Number 2. is that we would prefer a shelter dog, but as you know a lot of them are mutts, like me, so we’ll have to balance those issues.”
Here, Obama buys into the myth that young and/or purebred dogs are not available for adoption; that they can only be purchased from breeders. A quick perusal through animal adoption sites such as Petfinder puts this misconception to bed, as Elaine points out.
In addition to Obama’s prejudices regarding shelter dogs (i.e., all are old mutts), I’m also disturbed by his apparent willingness to flipflop on this issue if need be, despite Mrs. Obama’s promise that the family will adopt, rather than purchase a dog. (No doubt due to several high-profile campaigns encouraging them to do just this, including a letter from PETA and a petition drive from Best Friends.) Doubly so when Obama has a history of changing course when it’s politically expedient. If he can’t keep such an “inconsequential,” simple promise such as this, I don’t have much faith that he’ll, say, appoint justices who respect my bodily autonomy.
While the matter of adopting vs. purchasing the family “pet” may seem trivial, the epidemic of companion animal overpopulation and the resulting murder of 3 to 4 million cats and dogs annually is anything but. The Obamas are in the unique position to set an excellent, progressive example; and yet, President-elect Obama has already begun backtracking, hemming and hawing - at such an early date, and seemingly in response to misinformation regarding animal adoption.
I hope Best Friends continues hounding (pun intended) him on the issue.
(More below the fold…)