There have been two big dog stories in the news over the past week. The first, we have all heard about: the Obama family's search for a dog. I will share some interesting news from the Los Angeles Times, a lovely piece about mutts from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and terrific coverage on the new CNN Headline News show, "Issues, with Jane Velez-Mitchell."
The second story, brought to us from Brad Woodard at KHOU, is about the bust of one of the biggest dog fighting rings in America.
I will start with the good news. Those of us who watched Obama's first press conference as president-elect heard him answer the following when asked what kind of dog the family was "going to buy.":
"With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. I think it's generated more interest on our Web site than just about anything. We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things I think is a pressing issue on the Obama household."
A mutt like me -- how that warmed many of our hearts!
While the tenor of his answer was beautiful, he was missing a couple of facts. But I know various groups have been filling him in over the last week or so!
First, what most of us in the animal protection world know, is that while Obama was correct to say that a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, he was incorrect to think that there might be any shortage of purebreds. About twenty percent of shelter dogs are purebreds, and there will be millions of dogs in shelters between now and January. So finding a shelter dog who the girls love, who belongs to one of the many breeds considered hypoallergenic, should not be difficult.
The other factual error is about a point that I believe was unknown to the vast majority of people -- myself included. It was not until I read Shari Roan's November 12 Los Angeles Times blog headed, "Obamas won't find a 'hypoallergenic' dog'" that I learned that "according to advice released today from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology," (AAAAI) apparently '"there is no truly hypoallergenic dog."
The blog paraphrases the organization's statement: "It's a misconception that dog allergies are caused by the dog's hair. Allergies are caused by protein from the animal's dander, which can be found in dead skin cells, saliva and urine....Some dog breeds are considered allergy friendly, says the AAAAI. But that's because they're groomed more frequently. If the White House doesn't have a pet groomer on staff, it will soon."
That fascinating little blog, with a link to the AAAAI for more information, is on line at
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/11/obamas-wont-fin.html or at this Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/629dfu
Saturday's (November 15) Los Angeles Times front page included an article, by Carla Hall, headed, "This race for the White House begins at the dog pound."
It opens:
"Wanted: Presidential First Puppy. Should be less than a year old. Only hypoallergenic dogs need apply. Poodles and doodles especially welcome. Yorkies, bichon frises, Cairn terriers, Westies, cockapoos and wheaten terriers also encouraged. Must be doing time in a city or county shelter, foster home or private rescue facility. Will be vetted by incoming first daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10. Position is highly competitive."
Hall gives us information on the rescue situation, "Petfinder.com, citing Malia's allergies, blogged this week that its database included about 5,000 dogs of hypoallergenic breeds."
And she writes:
"Obama's declaration last week that his family would prefer a shelter dog has bestowed upon homeless creatures in private rescue operations and municipal shelters -- once known as lowly dog pounds -- a respectability that animal welfare professionals, activists and celebrity supporters have spent decades trying to convey."
The article, which includes quotes from various rescue folks about the impact of Obama's words, is a lovely read, which you'll find on line at
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-obamadog15-2008nov15,0,1817929.story
or at this Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/689qsu
The Los Angeles Times takes letters at letters@latimes.com
The Philadelphia Inquirer, on Wednesday November 14, printed an op-ed on the issue, by Kelly Overton, head of People Protecting Animals and Their Habitats. It is titled, "Send a signal: Adopt a mutt."
Kelly may have been one of the few who did indeed know about the myth of the hypoallergenic dog. Or if not, he certainly knows that a mutt will be made when dogs from two "hypoallergenic" breeds have an encounter. A poodle-silky mix might be a typical example. But most importantly, Overton took the presidential dog discussion as an opportunity to speak up for mutts. He writes:
"Besides being the compassionate choice, there are real advantages to adopting a mixed-breed shelter dog. Mixed breeds have fewer genetic disorders because it's less likely that both parents carry the same detrimental recessive alleles. That's right: Mutts have better genes.
"A mutt's companionship, meanwhile, is as good as or better than that of a purebred. Mixed-breed dogs scored an average of 85 percent when evaluated by the American Temperament Testing Society, whose dog-personality test measures friendliness, stability, aggressiveness, shyness, and protectiveness toward human companions. Mutts blow most breeds out of the water on these measures.
"So mixed-breed dogs are pretty on the inside, and they also tend to lead longer, healthier lives. And a happy, healthy dog makes pet ownership a more enjoyable and less-expensive experience for pet owners."
He ends with:
"By bringing a rescue dog to the White House, the Obamas could set an example for all Americans and throw the country's animal shelters a bone. Improving the plight of homeless dogs and cats is certainly not on the top of Obama's daunting list, but one small compassionate act would demonstrate that, when given an opportunity to protect the most vulnerable, we should seize it."
You'll find that delightful piece on line at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20081112_Send_a_signal__Adopt_a_mutt.html
Or at this Tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/583fby
The Philadelphia Inquirer takes letters at Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com
While Angelenos should send an appreciative letter to the Los Angeles Times, and Philly folks should send thanks to the Inquirer (both while singing the praises of rescue pets) the issue has been in pretty much every paper, so, while in these days of cybernews letters to the papers above will be welcomed from anywhere , I particularly encourage you to send a letter to your local paper on the issue. Your paper may not have had any others on that issue, and your paper is where you are the most likely to get published. Some small papers publish close to one hundred percent of letters they receive. Those letters get read by thousands of people. So why not take a few minutes to jot down a note on behalf of the animals? If you have any trouble finding the correct email address for a letter to your editor, I am happy to help.
One other piece of coverage I mentioned I wish to cover comes with the wonderful news that Jane Velez Mitchell, who has won two Genesis Awards for her outstanding coverage of animal issues, is currently a host on CNN's Headline News, having taken over for Glenn Beck. Her show is called "Issues, with Jane Velez-Mitchell." Check out her bio at http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/velez-mitchell.jane.html or at this Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/6nwcnb
Jane covered California's Prop 2 beautifully before the election. Now, this past week, she interviewed well-known Los Angeles dog rescuer Carole Davis, who is also the author of the book, "The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife" which I have highly recommended on DawnWatch many times in the past. (Learn more at http://www.hollywoodjinky.com/) Carole brought on one of her rescue own dogs, a small "hypoallergenic" mix, and they chanted "Yes We Can." The piece is not on CNN's website, but we should have it up on YouTube by late Monday morning (Nov 17). I don't have a URL yet but it will be on my channel (and perhaps elsewhere). Go to www.youtube.com/thankingthemonkey and look under the folder headed "News Pieces."
If you appreciate the segment, it is so important that you let CNN know. The producers need to know that there is a huge audience eager to hear Jane Velez-Mitchell's compassionate voice on animal issues. Comments about the segment on "Issues" should be left at http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?106
And now -- from sweet stories about adoption to a horror story about a dogfighting ring. The good news is that the ring has been busted. Another multi Genesis Award winning reporter, Brad Woodard, broke the story on Houston's KHOU on Friday night, November 14. If you have a strong stomach, you can watch it on line at this link: http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=303868&shu=1 or at this tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/5jvz3v
As Woodard notes, it is harder to listen to than watch -- the shrieking of the animals in agony is hard to bear.
Most importantly, please thank the station for the coverage. Positive feedback for coverage of animal protection issues encourages more of it. So please comment at http://www.khou.com/contact/?newsTv
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.
To discontinue DawnWatch alerts go to http://www.DawnWatch.com/nothanks.php
----------------------------------------
You are subscribed to DawnWatch using the following address:
example@example.com
Date: Sun Nov 16 20:51:54 2008
