For the Sake of All Americans, Don't Vote for Dog Abusers & Those Who Lie About the Cost of a Dog's Upkeep

Submitted by Renee Bouvier (United States), Oct 14, 2012 at 18:00

I own a Black Russian Terrier dog, which I imported directly from Russia. It cost $3,997 to purchase and ship this dog to the JFK Airport in 2009. This dog has a World Show specialty champion uncle, sire, and grand sire (three-time World Show specialty champion). His dam is a Grand Russian and Euro champion. Because he doesn't eat a commercial dog food diet, it costs a good $200 per week to feed this dog. Every two weeks, he receives a bath and raking, which costs $70. Every four to six weeks, an award-winning, certified grooming stylist carefully scissors and shapes his coat for $185. Naturally, he is an AKC champion and one of the top thirty-three dogs in the United States. If I had him shown more often, he would probably be one of the top ten dogs in the United States. I have no patience for the politics of the AKC ring. If you think Washington, DC politics is bad, import a top canine specimen and witness the craziness for yourselves. Most people lack the commitment, discipline and patience to properly nurture, train, and socialize such a massively power beast. In the beginning of next year, my boy will be partaking in the most prestigious dog show in the United States, the Westminster Kennel Club Show of 2013. Between the grooming fees, the entrance fees, and the professional handling fees of an AKC-registered handler the cost comes to at the very least $4,500. Handling fees for each day of the show run between $1,000 and $1,500 or more. An award of merit earns the handler an extra $500. Best of opposite sex gives the handler an extra $500 or more. A best of breed award gives the handler an extra $1,000 to $1,500. In other words, by the time your dog walks out of the ring, you may owe the handler a good $2,500 each day. If the dog wins the best of breed award, then the dog must partake in the best of group competition, which will cost you another $1,000 to $1,500. Some of us pray that our dogs will not win best of group, because of the cost of handling fees. So far, not one Black Russian Terrier has won the best of working group. Baruch Hashem! I have tallied up an estimate of how much my dog has cost me over a period of four and a half years, and it comes close to an Acura TL car, perhaps a little bit more. And no, I don't write off my top show dog as an investment lost like Mitt Romney writes off his wife's pet show horse as an investment-loss-tax-loophole. I could, but it would prove to demonstrate a total disregard toward my fellow Americans and an obvious lack of integrity -- not to mention pinching every penny, where possible, even if it is tantamount to stealing.

There is no way in who-knows-what that Obama's dog, which is a typical American inbred "pet" quality shrimpy, little, ratty looking creature (American-bred Portuguese Water Dog) costs $100,000 to maintain. The dog doesn't weigh much, plus it eats a typical commercial dog food diet. The pay of the White House staff includes taking care and watching over the children, which includes watching over the children as they walk and feed their dog. Please! Let's put it another way: If it costs the American taxpayer $100,000 to care for and watch over a typical American-bred "pet quality" dog of no more than forty-five pounds, how much will it cost the American taxpayers to watch over and care for Mrs. Romney's show horse, which weighs much more and eats a lot of straw, carrots, and apples. To import a top canine puppy specimen, and then, hand it over to one of the very most prestigious handlers in the country to nurture, train, and socialize before taking it on the road to at least forty shows per year for two to three years would not cost $100,000. It may come close, but it would never reach the total of $100,000. If you were talking about a top show horse, that would be a different story. Then, you would be talking about millions-of-dollars. Telling tall tales in an attempt to discredit Obama is folly. No one is that foolish to believe such a bubbameister. Perhaps we're not talking about a single dog. Before one creates a bubbameister, I would suggest investigating how much it costs to feed a dog of at least one-hundred and twenty-five pounds from scrap (no commercial diet, plus one, which includes only human-grade meats and marrow bones from Whole Foods grocery store) -- never mind the cost of importing a top specimen, training, socializing, housing, veterinary bills, joining training clubs, enrolling into numerous training schools, health test exams, posting health test exams for purposes of breeding, handlers fees, show entrance fees, transportation fees, handlers' fees, outrageously high show grooming fees, training equipment, and grooming tools, shampoos, and numerous finishing and conditioning sprays and mousses. (One German-made Mars King Coat comb now costs at least $67. The typical owner of a long-haired show dog owns at least six to seven of these stripping combs, which need to be replaced annually.) One might also add to the cost of maintaining a top show dog the cost of the injuries incurred by the owner.

Before a large to giant-breed, dominant dog is fully socialized, trained, and properly nurtured, the owner will experience numerous injuries from being thrown from the dog's shoulders (very much like being thrown from a pony) to being slammed into a tree to having one's arm broken as the adorable, pretty, little puppy mouths with its powerful jaws (relatively small, but extremely powerful). I've known some dog owners and trainers to have their shoulders crushed as the adolescent dog feels the need to jump up from behind to maul, when it is outside. Pups and adolescent dogs do not possess a mature central nervous system to control their every urge, much like a hedge fund manager and bankster, when it comes to stealing the taxpayers' dollars. Having a six to seven-month-old puppy jump you from behind, grabbing your entire shoulder in its mouth, is not a very pleasant experience. Nor is it very pleasant, when a bankster or hedge fund manager steals trillions-of-dollars from the educated middle to upper middle-class (those making between 100,000 to 200,000 with the equivalent of a master's degree or more from a first-tier university), who pay the second highest percentage of taxes out of their annual wages. These indiscretions will continue until the dog is fully mature, even though humans never seem to stop theirs. I surmise that Romney's indiscretions will continue unabated. Hey, I am no fan of Obama. You won't see an Obama sticker on my car, nor a sign on my front lawn. You will see a "Mutt Romney" sticker on my car, named after the dog he put on his roof. As for being a leftist, most think I am a centrist, who loves to criticize all. I do! Nevertheless, I have the strong proclivity to go after those involved in visceral, extreme forms of malfeasance. I don't discriminate between right and left. In fact, in Israel, right is left, and left is right. Each country has a different way of analyzing and classifying their politics. As an American, one tends to fall into an unnecessary dogma of sorts. Not your fault; just a victim of circumstance. Right?

As for the $100,000 price tag, you'll have to bark up another tree or try another against which to slam your owner. This owner refuses to be slammed more than once against a tree in pursuit of a feral squirrel. As a final note, I detect a dislike by the writer of dogs. Serial murderers don't like dogs. Islamic extremists don't like dogs. How many Arab Muslims in the Middle East have you met, who own dogs. How many dogs does one see in the Arab territories of Israel. There are some Palestinian Arab dog owners of some really nice German shepherd and Rotweiller dogs, but these dog owners are few. I surmise that you are one of those weirdos, who doesn't like dogs. Using your dislike of dogs to attack Obama does not involve much moral integrity. Dog lovers and enthusiasts won't like you, if you use an innocent canine creature as ammunition to attack a politician. After all, Obama is nothing more than your average American politician.

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