I don't know if you saw the story about the woman who recently adopted 27 dogs from a shelter to prevent them from being euthanized. When I first read it, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
I'm sure Colleen Spalioni's heart was in the right place. She lost her own dog in November when it was struck and killed by a car, and she wanted to find another that looked just like him. Her Internet search led her to Dogsindanger.com, a site that posts photos of dogs in shelters with the number of days they have left until they are euthanized.
Spalioni, who lives near Reno, hired a teenage neighbor to drive with her almost 800 miles to a shelter near Bakersfield, Calif., where she found a dog that resembled her own. But after seeing so many dogs in need of homes, she just couldn't help herself.
She adopted the dog she wanted - and 26 others, including one Chihuahua, 10 Chihuahua mixes, two German Shepherd mixes, two Miniature Pinschers, a Jack Russell Terrier and a Poodle. She loaded them into her truck and drove home.
Everything would have been fine, except that her new dogs did what dogs normally do. They barked -- so much, in fact, that the neighbors began complaining. And then she was told that a local ordinance allows no more than three dogs per household.
Since then, Spalioni has been looking for new homes for the dogs. So far, she's found places for almost all of them.
And, she said, "I learned my lesson. I promise I won't do this again."
Her concern for the dogs is admirable. I commend her. I'm sure others would love to do the same if they had the space and time to love and care for dogs in need.
But as someone who owns four dogs, I could have told her: It's a lot of work.
Advocates of animal adoption will be glad to know that VP-elect Joe Biden plans to add to his litter - this time with a shelter dog.
Biden, who has been criticized for buying a German Shepherd puppy from a Pennsylvania breeder - notably a breeder who was later cited for several violations - now says he and his wife Jill are planning to get another dog, this time from a shelter.
Here's what he told George Stephanopoulos on the ABC Sunday morning news show "This Week With George Stephanopoulos":
"I've had German Shepherds since I was a kid and I've actually trained them and shown them in the past. So I wanted a German Shepherd, and we're going to get a pound dog, which my wife wants, who is hopefully a Golden [Retriever]."
Perhaps as a mea culpa to his many critics, Biden added that his family has always adopted animals in the past, including a cat. And he's glad that the Vice President's residence has a fenced yard with several acres so the new Biden dogs have plenty of room to play.
OK, we weren't among those who pounded on the new Veep just because he bought a dog from a breeder (we've done the same thing in the past). But it's good to know there will be two Biden dogs and that one of them will be adopted.
Lucky dog.
We're not piling on Linda Brown or her Wolf Den Kennel -- the place where VP-elect Joe Biden bought his German Shepherd puppy recently -- but we wanted to confirm something we read about the kennel having lost its ability to register dogs with the American Kennel Club.
Turns out that's not so, although Brown, who also operates under the name Jolindy's German Shepherds in Chester County, Pa., did lose AKC certification in 2006. She regained it in 2007 and is currently in good standing.
Interestingly, Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the AKC, told us that Brown has not registered any litters with the organization this year - meaning that the Biden dog (or the litter he came from) does not currently have AKC certification.
Peterson said that Brown, whose kennel was cited for several violations this month, lost her right to register dogs in 2006 because three of her litters had false certification, apparently listing incorrect parents. Peterson said this was probably a paperwork error.
All this makes us wonder if Biden really cares whether his puppy is AKC registered. Some dog owners do, some don't. But you'd have to presume that he might want his purebred dog to have the proper papers proving his heritage.
The incoming Vice President is getting pressure from groups who believe he should have adopted a shelter puppy - and that Brown might be a less-than-reputable breeder. They also believe that Biden's boss, Barack Obama, should adopt. An Obama dog would do a lot to promote pet adoption if he picks one from a shelter or rescue group.
Vice-President-elect Joe Biden is taking a lot of heat for buying a puppy from a breeder earlier this month, but the heat is not just coming from advocates of shelter and rescue dogs.
The VP-to-be bought a German Shepherd pup from a Pennsylvania breeder who was cited several days later by the state Department of Agriculture for several violations, including a failure to produce proof of rabies vaccinations and maintenance issues. All the breeder could offer in her defense was a big “Oops,” insisting the records were lost the night before Biden’s visit as she was cleaning up.
No one has accused the breeder, Linda Brown of Wolf Den Kennel, of running a puppy mill, but one blogger called her a “high-volume commercial breeder,” which in the dog-breeding business must be just short of accusing someone of owning a puppy mill. And according to the inspection report, the kennel was not as well maintained as it could have been and there was a strong smell of ammonia (urine) present.
Brown has a license to keep more than 250 dogs on her property and had 85 there when an inspector showed up. Which makes us wonder: If that’s not a puppy mill, what is?
Of course, Biden did himself no favors by choosing a purebred puppy rather than a shelter/rescue dog. One Web site, Bidendog.com, calls Brown a “less-than-reputable breeder” and urges Biden to forget the puppy and opt for a shelter dog. There’s an online petition that visitors can sign.
Nothing like putting pressure on the incoming President, who is still undecided about what kind of dog to get for daughters Malia and Sasha. An Obama dog might be the most talked-about and controversial decision that President-elect Barack Obama makes as he enters the White House.
Do you think Biden should change his mind about getting a puppy from this breeder? Do you think he took appropriate steps to find a reputable breeder before buying the puppy from Wolf Den Kennel?
Guess who got a puppy!
Sorry, no. Not the Obamas. It was Vice President-elect Joe Biden, who picked out a German Shepherd puppy from a breeder in Chester County, Pa., last weekend.
The story was first reported by the Local Daily News in West Chester. Biden's wife Jill had promised her husband he could have a new puppy if he and Barack Obama won the election. She even taped photos of various dog breeds on Biden's campaign plane.
The Bidens won't take delivery of the new dog until after the inauguration next month -- and after he's undergone some training by the breeder. Biden's granddaughters will pick a name.
OK, now it's the President-elect's turn.
