Trump Says He Doesn’t Want To Get A Dog And I Think He’s Right
While speaking at a rally in El Paso this week, the President told the crowd it would seem "phoney" if he followed tradition and got a First Dog. For the past three presidencies, there has been at least one "First Dog" in the White House. Barak Obama had his Portuguese water dogs Bo and Sunny, George W Bush had a Scottish terrier named Barney, Bill Clinton had a cat Socks and his lab Buddy and George H.W. Bush had his dog, Millie. There were also the non-traditional animals the presidents have had including Lyndon B. Johnson's hamsters and birds and John F Kennedy's zoo that included birds, rabbits, horses. President Trump is breaking the tradition by saying that he doesn't want to get a "First Pet" for the White House.
During the president's rally in El Paso, the President discussed how impressed he was with the German Shepards who serve with the secret service. He told the audience he didn't have time for a dog and thought it would be "phoney" if he were to get a dog. You can see his exact comments in the video above and this is one of the times that I have to agree wholeheartedly with the president. It would not only seem phoney to people but also it wouldn't be in the best interest for the animal either.
Many people become dog owners for various circumstances- companionship, an obligation to another person, pity, spur of the moment decision among other reasons. But the decision to become the owner of another life should be the person's own decision after much thought. Owning an animal is a serious decision because it's a forever pet, and not a "while it's convenient for you" pet. The fact that Donald Trump knows he's too busy for a dog, and that he wouldn't be the type of person to take the dog out for walks on the lawn is a good thing. He knows that he wouldn't be invested in the dog and the dog's wellbeing so it would be better if he didn't get a dog at all. The president is making the correct decision by not being bullied into getting a dog just to follow the example of presidents before him. I'm happy to see that he will be braking this certain tradition.