Before Obama Had His Warren, Biden Had His Shepherd

Is the White House doghouse big enough for both Obama and Biden? In just one short week, both have raised the ire of consituencies through important selections. Yes, I realized a couple days ago that I'm one of the few not yet on the record saying, "What the hell?!" in response to soon-to-be-VP Joe Biden's purchase of a puppy from a breeder as opposed to adoption from a shelter or rescue. Consider this my official "What the hell?! What was he thinking?" response. There are some people who buy dogs from backyard breeders, pet stores, puppy mills, and so-called responsible breeders (no such thing in this world, folks--no such thing) without realizing the problems associated with that choice. It's becoming increasingly more difficult not to be aware, but it's not impossible. So I try not to jump on people immediately if it seems clear or even possible that they really didn't know any better when originally making that decision. Many, once informed and given the chance to reflect on the matter, commit to never buying an animal from a store or breeder again.

But Biden? Not one of those didn't-know-better types. Not by a long shot. (Indeed, it's frustrating to recall that Biden was even referred to as a "stalwart friend of animal welfare advocates" during the presidential campaign.) Even if someone really needs a certain breed of dog if he or she is to have a dog (and honestly, those instances of needing a specific breed of dog are incredibly, incredibly rare), there are plenty of rescue organizations that take in and adopt out purebred dogs as well as plenty of purebred dogs in shelters all across the country. Someone with Joe Biden's resources and public persona would have had no trouble finding and adopting a German shepherd.

So a reader sent me a private message last weekend asking what we can do about this faux paw (oh, I amuse myself) by Biden.

And my instinctual answer is "not a whole lot," at least beyond what everyone's already doing--speaking out about it and making sure that both Biden and the rest of the public know why Biden's decision was frustrating and, frankly, wrong. (Even the URL BidenDog.com now leads to a Web site, titled "Adopt, Don't Shop," full of resources on the issue.) But the reader went on to ask, "Could we maybe encourage him to adopt a puppy as a friend for that one?" And that, I think, is an excellent idea, Jennifer. It would be a lovely "OK, I get it" gesture, it would give another dog a chance at life, and it would give his current puppy a playmate of his own kind.

And to be clear (because I can just see the comments now), I--like everyone else weighing in on this--have nothing against the puppy Biden did select, and I am glad for Puppy Biden that he's getting a great home. I just wish that he hadn't come into being the way he did, that he, his littermates, and his mother weren't being exploited for human profit like mere commodities, and that millions of other dogs weren't being killed in shelters every year while people inspect, select, and purchase dogs the way they inspect and purchase cars and furniture.

Read on for what a couple other bloggers are saying:

Animal Person: "Biden Gets Puppy from Breeder, and Why That Matters"

When I heard that Vice President-elect Joe Biden had bought a German shepherd puppy from a breeder in Pennsylvania, my first reaction was an incredulous laugh. What? Is that guy not paying any attention whatsoever? Has he not heard about the debate over Malia and Sasha's new dog, and whether s/he will be a mutt like their dad or a purebreed? Has he not seen the petitions and websites and statistics that are being flung over the Internets attesting to the millions of cats and dogs killed each year for their crime of homelessness and that 25% of them are purebreeds? Doesn't he know that he has just made an important statement, and it's not a favorable one?

Apparently not.

Here's why this matters, at least to me. I'm not asking the guy to stop eating and wearing animals. Okay, that's not true; that's my nefarious goal. Look, everyone's watching Biden's every move and he knows that. His choice tells me that he can't see why saving a life and giving an animal a chance is more preferable than creating one to suit his needs.

And that scares me.

Alex, of That Vegan Girl: "One Reaction to Biden's Choice"

I'm writing angry. The news of Joe Biden's purchase of a puppy from a breeder has been commented on by some within the animal rights movement. Here, here, and here for example. The mainstream media has also given this story some press.

Now to my rage. One such program in the M.S.M. world teased with a clip surrounding Biden's decision and the reaction, primarily from PETA, that followed. I made the only reasonable assumption: a stark discussion about the issue would follow. I was wrong. The story lasted thirty seconds and was essentially a mockery of our challenge, and the evidence that supports it. The message was not "Biden buys one, gets one killed": here's why this is true and why it's not ethical. But: "Why did he get a german shepard? Pugs are cuter."

The possibility for adding some public pseudo-merit (we of course win on the substance) to this discourse is intimately connected with the decisions made by the M.S.M. The mockery is clearly strategic, not substantive, but it does have a net negative effect on the movement to make our ethics consistent.

Biden made the wrong choice, as an ethical matter. This is objectively true if we really think suffering is a bad thing. However, if this challenge of ours is framed as "a joke," or with statements such as "It just is...," and "common sense tells us....," the impact of the message is deflected.