First, right on. Shelter dogs are the way to go. Second, great choice of photo. I just watched the original Frost/Nixon interview on dvd tonight.

I have a friend that still owes me $5…the bet was “He’d quit before he was impeached”. I was on the quit first and he never paid up. So much for those playground bets.

Important message. Adoption is the way to go. Even if someone wants a specific breed, I always suggest they go through one of the breed specific rescue groups, of which there are many. That’s after warning them to research the potential health problems associated with over breeding. Granted, one of my three is a purebred and is 16, but I think that’s just good luck.

I thought Obama was getting a purebred or crossbred or generally not a rescue dog due to his daughter’s allergies?

In any case, allergies is just of the many reasons why people don’t opt for a shelter dog. Not all purebreds are pains in the asses, not all of them have debilitating conditions – this is where knowing what to ask the breeder is really, really important – just like not all shelter dogs are inherently easy to raise or deal with purely because they came from a shelter. In any circumstance, you have to make sure that dog is right for you, space-wise, emotionally, financially, allergies, etc. Otherwise, you’re going to end up tragically returning the dog back to the shelter (which, based on my experience, happens way too often), or you are going to be the frustrated owner of a very, very expensive ball of fur.

@queequeg: You’re absolutely right. I was speaking in general terms. Basically, my take home point was don’t go out and buy your daughter a lhasa apso just because they look cute on TV. As for Obama: do as he says, not as he does.

I watch this every year, and I don’t even have a dog. It must be those lady handlers, with their thick legs and their sensible shoes. Shh, don’t tell….