PETA: Obama Puppy Should Be Neutered (But He Already Is)

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the White House today asking President Obama to neuter Bo, the first family's new six-month-old Portuguese Water Dog puppy. In the letter, obtained by U.S. News, the PETA president writes she is sending a "coupon good for one free sterilization at PETA's SNIP clinic."

"...Money alone, unless you pour in as much as the Iraq war has cost us, cannot 'fix' the overpopulation problem.Please show that you understand this by making the first dog the last dog of his line and having Bo neutered. Sex in the White House has been the topic of past scandals, but with a simple 'snip,' the first dog can set a new tone and a great example."

However, according to U.S. News, the puppy is already fixed. An entry in PETA's blog says the organization is "disappointed" the Obamas accepted the purebred puppy from the Kennedys over a rescue or shelter dog, and worries that not all Portuguese Water Dogs adopted from breeders will have the opportunity to be "re-homed," like the Obama dog, ending up in shelters instead.

Let us be clear: The new first dog, Bo, is not a rescue. While he was returned to the breeder by his first owners, that subtle point is missing from or buried in most news reports and is no doubt lost on the masses of people who will be lining up at pet shops and demanding "Obama puppies." These puppies will eventually lose their appeal, once people get tired of taking care of them, but because most pet shops and many breeders don't take "returns," guess where those unwanted "Obama puppies" are going to end up? At extremely crowded, overworked shelters like D.C.'s Washington Humane Society.

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