Honestly. I really do want to get a dog. I just haven't gotten around to it. Yet. Which is not surprising, given that there are plenty of other things I haven't gotten around to. Yet. And that medium-long list includes filing my taxes for 2020. (I've got until May 17th. What's the hurry?)
But I do have dog hunger, and am happy to live in a doggy building, where there are four doggos to pet.
The one I know best is Frankie, some sort of yellow lab mix mutt who was rescued from South Carolina last year. He's still a pup - maybe a year old - and until my friend and neighbor, Brian, acquired him, he'd never been indoors.
I usually see Frankie every day, at least for a quick hello and scratch under the chin (his, not mine). He is most definitely a cutenik.
Frankie is a funny bunny. For one thing, for a dog who started out on Tobacco Road, Frankie is pretty fussy when it comes to snacks. When Brian told me that the Frank-ster preferred soft chicken snacks, I got the best ones that CVS had to offer. Frankie turned his snout up at them. (I don't blame him: they smelled pretty nasty.)
So I went to the South End Polka Dog, part of a small Boston pet store chain that specializes in handcrafted, artisanal dog treats. There, I bought two types of handcrafted, artisanal dog treats. Frankie doesn't like either.
Fortunately, Frito, an ancient, roly-poly chihuahua who doesn't live here but visits frequently, is fine with anything. So I get to unload some of the handcrafted, artisanal dog treats when he blows in.
Still, it amazes me that Frankie is such a snack snob.
Nonetheless, I'm quite fond of him and enjoy my daily mini-visits with him.
The other day, headed out for a walk, I ran into Brian and Frank and volunteered to take Franko out for a spin. Brian a) warned me that Frank's a tugger, and b) couldn't find the harness leash. So out I went with a regular old leash, and quickly found out that Frank is, indeed, a tugger. At one point, I thought he was going to pull my shoulder out of its socket. Not to mention that he's not yet fixed, so he feels the need to squirt on every street light, trash bin, bush, wrought iron fence, and bush that he comes across.
Other than that, it was a very pleasant walk: a beautiful day, out with a cute dog.
What's not to like?
When I do get around to getting my dog, I'll be happy with a rescue like Frank or a breeder-bought dog (in which case: Lab). My only rules are no pit bulls and no little yappers. And although I'm not going to deny that cuteness doesn't matter, the dog in my future doesn't have to be as cute as Frankie.
What I will not be doing is going to a pet store to purchase the doggy in the window, the one with the waggly tail.
And the last thing I'd ever do was lease a dog, a practice that I had never heard of until I saw an article the other day about a couple of (where-else) Nevada-based companies that:
...waived dog-lease balances totaling more than $126,000 after they allegedly illegally leased dogs in Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey’s office announced Thursday...Dog leases function similarly to those of cars where the consumer is required to make monthly payments for the duration of the lease before making a final payment and taking ownership of the dog. If a dog owner misses a payment, the dog could be repossessed by the pet store, Healey’s office said. (Source: Boston Globe)
These outfits were violating Massachusetts law, which forbids dog leases in our fair commonwealth, in part because the interest rates charged our pretty hefty - in some cases more than doubling the cost of the pet. Not to mention that it's just plain awful, all the way around, if a leased dog - as opposed to a leashed dog - is repossessed.
The good news for anyone who bought their pup through a retailer and took out one of these leases is that any balances owed are now wiped out. Plus any payments made since January 1st are being refunded. And everyone gets to keep their dog.
I understand why someone would want to get a dog. This year especially, there's been a huge demand for them. When I checked last fall with the area's largest rescue shelter (the place where my sister had gotten her late, beloved rescue Jack) they'd closed their waiting list. That list had 14,000 names on it.
So you want a dog. There are no rescues. Going to a breeder for a healthy pure-bred dog is a costly proposition. But you want a dog. And that leaves dog-napping or the pet store in the mall. (Not that pet store dogs are cheap; they're just likely to be less expensive than a dog raised by an AKC breeder - as long as you don't factor in the finances charges)
When it comes to acquiring a dog, pet stores do have some advantages (however dubious those advantages might be). They're more convenient that seeking out a good breeder. There's no background checking. And you can make an impulse buy.
While I would never go the pet shop route, I get why someone looking for a dog might walk by some pet shop and fall in love with the doggy in the window. Even if that doggy in the window is likely to be a poorly bred puppy mill pupper with health and temperament issues just around the corner. And if you can't afford the upfront costs and someone offers you a lease, and you really want that dog, I'm sure it's pretty easy to take on a lease.
And leasing fits with the overall leasing/renting vs. owning trend. People rent clothing for fancy occasions, rent hats for British weddings. I know a ton of people who lease their cars rather than purchase them outright.
But that's a hat. That's a car.
Not a love-bug doggo who becomes part of the family. Sure, it's not as bad as leasing a kid. But it's right up there.
There's a common meme on Twitter that goes "we don't deserve dogs."
And dogs sure don't deserve to get accustomed to a home and then get ripped out of it when their owners can't make the rent payments.
A big arf and a woof of tail-wagging approval to our AG Maura Healey.
No comments:
Post a Comment