Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails
I think many of us concur that the President-Elect made a pretty excellent speech last week. Here’s the text, in case you want to read it over and roll it around in your brain a little, which I definitely did. (Here’s McCain’s, by the way, which I thought was pretty classy.) But there’s a section of the speech which stuck out, which was his confirmation that he would make good on the promise of getting a dog for his daughters. (Hopefully the first of many campaign promises he will fulfill.)
Now, I didn’t think this was that big a deal, but I underestimated the American obsession with fiddling in each other’s lives. Apparently, numerous polls have been carried out to determine what kind of pet the Obamas should get, and comment threads across the Internet erupted last week with discussions about the Presidential Dog.
I was pleased to see a lot of calls for the Obamas to adopt a shelter dog, which is what I personally hope that they do. I’m all about them adopting a shelter dog for a number of reasons.
First of all, I think it sets a powerful example for the rest of America. I think that dog breeding is despicable, and that anything which reduces demand from breeders is a good thing. By adopting a shelter dog, the Obamas will show Americans that, hey, if you want to be like the President, you go to the pound for a new pet. Furthermore, if the Obamas adopt a mixed-breed shelter dog, they will forestall the inevitable rush to the breeders for a “dog just like the Obamas have.”
My exception to the shelter dog rule would be, of course, if the leader of another country made the gift of a dog to the Obamas. (I know that Queen Elizabeth II, for example, breeds corgis.) You don’t refuse a gift from a foreign leader, and even though the gift of a purebred animal would probably increase demand for that animal in the States…you don’t refuse a gift from a foreign leader.
I would really love it if they would consider a special needs animal, such as an older dog, or a dog which requires special medical care, but I can understand, when you’re adopting a dog which will ostensibly belong to two young ladies, that you might want a younger, healthy dog. You can’t win ‘em all. And just choosing a shelter mutt is a huge positive step.
If we’re going to be subjecting every aspect of the Obamas’ lives to careful scrutiny, it means that The Dog is going to become a Big Deal. And I think that presents a great opportunity to remind Americans of the millions of homeless cats and dogs who are euthanized every year because no one wants them. I know that animal rights wasn’t really part of the Obama Platform, but no more homeless pets is an important goal, and I hope that he considers integrating animal welfare into his policies as President.
It’s been said that you can judge a lot about a person by the way that person treats animals, and the same holds true for nations. (Here in California, we value the welfare of certain farm animals more than equal rights for gays!) Improving conditions for pets would be awesome, as would improving conditions for animals raised for food. Making changes in the food production system in this country is critical anyway for national security, but reforming it to have a tougher stance on animal welfare would also improve our position internationally. In the European Union, conditions for farm animals are much better, for example.
We’ve made huge strides in the last 20 years when it comes to animal welfare, thanks in no small part to the dedicated efforts of people in the animal rights movement. People can actually be severely punished for animal cruelty, for example, which is terrific. But there’s a lot more work to be done. And now is always a good time to do something for animals.
In his speech, Mr. Obama said this: “I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.” It would be nice if he could hear the cries for help from those who cannot speak, and be their President as well.