They are totally missing the point here ....

The point really isn't whether this is a 'rescue' dog or not ... it is not where they got the dog from ... its HOW they got the dog, WHO they got it from and WHY this isn't being considered a questionable 'gift'

PROMISES, PROMISES: Is Obama dog a rescue or not?

Enter Bo, a 6-month-old puppy given up by his first owner and matched with the Obamas through his breeders. Because he was given up by his first owner as a poor fit and is now with his second owners, the Obamas, but never spent time in a shelter or with a rescue group, Bo is a "quasi-rescue dog," says Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States.
Here's where the intrigue comes in:
—Bo's breeders happen to have bred Sen. Edward Kennedy's Portuguese water dogs. The Massachusetts Democrat, an Obama friend and political ally, also acquired a pup from Bo's
litter. Bo's breeders are fans of Obama and named Bo's litter the Hope and Change litter.
—Bo's first owner lives in Washington.
—Bo was returned to the breeder in early March, fitting the spring timeline the Obamas had given for their dog adoption.
—Kennedy and his wife Victoria helped line Bo up with the Obamas. Before moving into the White House, the pup spent nearly a month with the Kennedys' dog trainer in Virginia.
In fact, Bo is a gift to the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, from the Kennedys, said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama.

If this was a gift to the President it would become a gift to the nation ... like the gifts of exotic animals in the past which wound up in zoos ... but you can't really put a dog in a zoo.

So it has been 'disguised' as a gift to the girls ... when really what it is is a gift from a 'lobbyiest' of sorts and a big no-no.

Don't get me wrong - I think pic-ops of the Obama's visiting shelters looking for dogs would have a tremendous influence ... it would have been great to see either Michelle or the girls & grandma out looking around ...

but hey, I'm glad they went with a purebred .... but a Poodle would have been a better choice, really.