ohmidog!

There’s a media firestorm rising out of vice-president-elect Joe Biden’s purchase of a German shepherd pup from a Pennsylvania breeder, but, as with many media firestorms, this one may be more smoke than fire.

At its center is this question: Did Joe Biden by his dog from a puppy mill?

Puppy mill is a subjective term. Some use it to describe large scale breeding operations where the welfare of dogs runs a distant second to making a profit. Some use it to describe any commercial breeding operation.

Linda Brown owner of the kennel in Chester County, Pa., insists that violations found after Biden purchased his dog — during a regularly scheduled inspection — mostly pertained to record-keeping, and she says they were the first she ever received.

That hasn’t stopped either over-zealous animal rights activists, or overworked journalists, from slapping the “puppy mill” label on Brown’s operation.

“Joe Biden hooks up with bad dog breeder,” read the headline in yesterday’s Baltimore Examiner — or at least in its online version. The story beneath the headline doesn’t substantiate that at all.

“If it weren’t bad enough that Biden chose to buy from a breeder, we are now trying to confirm the accuracy of a report that was sent to us alleging that he bought his dog from a known puppy mill operator,” PETA’s Christine Dore blogged on the organization’s site, Blog.Peta.org.

Oh, for the good old days, when journalists, and even activists, would confirm something before telling it to the world.

Brown’s kennel, Jolindy’s German Shepherds, was cited by Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement on Dec. 10 — four days after Biden picked his pup there — for ventilation, sanitation and housekeeping violations, and inadequate record-keeping, from bills of sales to rabies vaccinations.

“These dogs are raised better than most kids. I feed them 2,000 pounds of meat a week, and they are hugged and kissed every day of their lives,” Brown said. “I love them with all of my heart.”

Around 20 of the dogs live in her house, and all have access to her 20-acre rural property, as well as to two heated indoor swimming pools, which are pictured on the kennel’s Web site.

The controversy already has its own website, BidenDog.com, which in addition to displaying German Shepherd dogs that are available for adoption,  links to a petition that asks Biden to not take the puppy home.

We don’t like puppy mills here at ohmidog!, but we don’t like labels, either — especially ones that are slapped on before the facts are in. We need a few less attack dogs (hey, wasn’t Biden considered one of those?), and few more newshounds willing to dig up the facts.

(Photo: from Jolindy Kennel website)