Biden dog: a puppy-mill product?

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?