The White House has a new pet. The Obama family chose a Portuguese water dog. The breed is sure to be in demand now, similar to the dalmatian frenzy following the live-action movie. Of course, following a fad is a terrible reason to get a dog, and as a result, many dalmations ended up in the shelter. Hopefully, this will not be the case for Portuguese water dogs.
Which leads me to my point. As a popular public figure, Obama could have helped millions of homeless animals if he'd chosen to adopt his pet from the shelter. Obama had mentioned during his campaign that he preferred to rescue a dog from the shelter, but recieved Bo as a gift.
Several years ago, celebrities started an adoption fad when many chose to rescue animals instead of purchasing them from breeders. This made ordinary people consider adoption before going to the pet stores or commercial breeders.
Similarily, Oprah has used her celebrity notoriety to inform her viewers about animal cruelty. She also encourages people to adopt from shelters and to spay/nueter. Shelters reported a rise in adoption after one of her shows aired, while commercial breeders reported a record low. Such is the influence of the rich and famous.
Millions of dogs enter shelters every year. Many never find homes. Some argue that Obama should not be attacked for his choice because he needed a particular breed because that does not shed. However, this breed, along with many pure breds, can be found in shelters or from rescue organizations. In fact, there were several shelters that had this breed and were hopeing to be contacted by the presidential office.
Usually, famous people influence trivial decisions such as our choice of clothes and hairstyles; but, sometimes they use their power for good. If more celebrities chose to rescue animals, spay/neuter, and speak out against animal cruelty, millions of animals would not needlessly die every year.
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