Leigh: I certainly don’t think an animal needs to be from a shelter or rescue to be considered a rescue dog. If that were the case then several of my animals couldn’t be considered rescues either. I just felt that in this particular situation, he’s not exactly what I was hoping for.

Laura: That’s a very good issue to point out. I should have been more clear in saying that since this particular breeder was a responsible one and would have taken him back that Bo himself was highly unlikely to end up in a shelter. It is very true that so many people buy purebred dogs and then dump them in a shelter when they realize that owning a dog is actually work. Thank you for rescuing the ones you have! The world needs more people like you.

I wish they had selected a shelter dog, too. I saw a similar dog that was named Freedom on Petfinder.com and thought he would have been great. However, since the pet was a gift, not an adoption or a sale, it really is not an issue for me, anymore. I could not have turned such a gift and while the donation may not be enough for some, it may help more than just one shelter dog. It did bring up the discussion and since there was so many people who were upset, I would hope that they would now do more to support their local shelters.

Thanks for all that you do.

I also think it’s interesting that people are blaming the Obamas for the choice as much as they are — the dog was, after all a gift, and even though he came through a reputable breeder, he’s still on his second home. I think that this is just as much a chance to showcase the difference between a reputable breeder and a puppy mill as much as it is to showcase the needs of shelter dogs.

And, well, if all rescues have to come from ‘shelters,’ then only my cat counts as a rescued animal. Not the mite-infested green tree pythons I rescued from a women who wanted to be the reptile-equivalent of a backyard-breeder, or the sick, starved leopard gecko baby I saved from being thrown in the trash at PetCo, or the blue beauty snake that I took in once his original owner told me that he was ‘too mean.’

And, really, we should be supporting taking animals out of those kinds of bad situations, too, even if they aren’t mediated by shelters — shelters do great work (and I ♥ my shelter-kitty) but they can’t do everything. Celebrating giving a pup a new home from one that wasn’t working out is still pretty important.