According to the L.A. Times article, Senator Kennedy took the dog from a family who could no longer care for it, had it trained by his trainers, and thought the dog would be perfect for the Obamas. Really? Was this all just coincidental? Am I, this little ol dog trainer, the only critical thinker (albeit skeptical) about how this whole situation panned out?
The Obamas had been going back and forth between breeder and rescue. Being the liberal democrats they are, they were really making us rescue supporters believe they were going to go the shelter route... but this just seems a tad too convenient. The perfect way for them to get their purebred dog, without hurting anyones feelings :-) Oh, and the final kicker, is that to make up for not adopting from a shelter, the Obamas will make a donation to their local D.C Humane Society. Nice spin...Well, what were we expecting? It is politics ya know.
Lets at least hope he chooses more modern, humane, reward-based training techniques like the ones we use at the Inquisitive Canine, versus the old fashioned stuff - theres no way to put a favorable spin on that!
Oh, and changing the name to Bo. Sweet that the girls named him after their grandfathers nickname, but IMO, a one syllable name that sounds like "no"? Well, hopefully theyll be using the former more than the latter. Or, maybe they can add "Diddley" onto it...just to keep the confusion to a minimum.
Regardless, at least the pup has a nice home...and a loving family...and a great yard! Plus, ya gotta admit, those secret service guys and gals are perfect for puppy socialization.
Hail to the Chief - DOG!
