Bo Obama in "Much Ado About Nothing"

There is a bit of a drama around the adoption of the Portuguese (yay!) Water Dog puppy Bo. Some are saying that President Obama broke his promise to get a rescue dog. Others are accusing him of getting a dog from a breeder. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Here's our position.

Bo is not really a rescue dog. He came from a breeder and did not have a successful first placement, but his is nowhere near the tough stories we hear about in shelters. (It helps to have a sibling in Ted Kennedy's household.)

But he wasn't really adopted from a breeder either. His first placement didn't work out and he was with an obedience trainer for a second chance at another home.

So what is he?

He's simply a gift from a friend. Ted Kennedy gave him to the Obamas as an act of friendship. It's his own dog's sibling and I think it was a symbol of political alliance as well. I don't think there was anything underhanded in it at all. The dog was a fit for the family and it's hard to say no to Ted Kennedy.

We would have loved it if the Obamas had adopted a dog from a shelter. But there were allergy issues which are an understandable concern. And we also have to realize that there would not be a sudden rush to the shelter if the Obamas had adopted their dog from one. There may have been a rush to adopt that particular dog perhaps, but then the fad would fade and the people who were never sincere in the first place would just dump the dog again.

I think we animal people should just chill and enjoy the new puppy.