Don't buy a dog; adopt from a pound

Sen. Obama and his family have said that, win or lose, they are going to add a dog to their family after the election this November.

That is a great idea, but I hope they decide to adopt one from their local shelter. Why? Because as long as people still buy their pets from pet stores and commercial breeders, millions of abandoned pets are killed in shelters across the country every year; not to mention the horrors of puppy mills where the breeding dogs are kept in cages stacked from floor to ceiling, never ever touching grass or coming into contact with humans for affection, exercise or guidance.

So here is one issue that is truly bipartisan - one that we can all agree on. Let us ask our national leaders always to adopt their pets from shelters, rather than buying them from pet stores or commercial breeders.

Members of Best Friends Animal Society have started a petition to invite the Obama family to do just that. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, left wing, right wing or any other wing, you can make a bipartisan difference by signing our petition at ObamaFamilyDog.com, and encouraging all your friends and family to sign it, too.

Thank you for thinking about our nation's homeless pets and puppy mills and the horrors that those poor animals go through. Also, please read Jana Kohl's "A Rare Breed of Love," about a puppy mill survivor.

Rita N. Carlson

Batavia