Paying for a Puppy They Don’t Have Anymore
Last Thursday, KIRO-TV ran a story about a family that leased a Husky puppy from Puppyland in Puyallup.
Alyssa Carter told the KIRO reporter that she and her husband “fell in love” with the puppy. But they couldn’t afford the $3200 price tag.
That’s when someone from Puppyland told them that they “had options” and could finance the payments for “as low as $100.”
But the payments weren’t even close to $100 a month. They ended up being almost $250 a month.
As I wrote in my previous post about puppy leasing (Washington Pet Stores Are Leasing Puppies, 2/15/19), the Carter’s realized after they signed the contract that they would end up paying over $7200 for the puppy.
And even when they made all the payments, they wouldn’t own the puppy unless they paid an additional $487.50.
To make matters worse, the family soon realized that a Husky “wasn’t the best breed for them.”
They asked Puppyland to help them find another home for the puppy and ended up selling him for $950.
Carter’s husband told KIRO, “I’m paying for something I don’t even have.”
Puppyland’s Misleading Responses
I believe Puppyland’s response to the reporter’s questions about puppy leasing were at best misleading and at worst, deceitful.
Puppyland co-owner Kayla Kerr told KIRO they “deter customers as much as possible” when they offered “the leasing option.”
She also said they would tell customers who wanted to sign a lease “to go home and sleep on it so they don’t make a rushed decision.”
Ms. Carter told the reporter no one tried to deter them from signing a lease for the puppy or told them to sleep on it.
The puppy leasing model depends on customers making an emotional decision instead of a financial one because the desire for getting a cute puppy can cloud the judgement of a potential lessee.
As the founder of a company that finances puppy purchases noted, “We like niches where we’re dealing with emotional borrowers.”
Ms. Kerr made a couple of other claims that I think aren’t accurate.
Financing Option? What Financing Option?
Ms. Kerr told KIRO that Puppyland only offered a leasing option to customers with bad credit.
The customers with good credit are “given the option of financing” that gives them an interest rate that is “significantly lower than the fees they would be paying for a lease.”
This is the first time I’ve ever heard that Puppyland customers have both a financing and leasing option.
Puppyland’s website only mentions puppy financing.
I’ve never seen the word “leasing” anywhere on its site even though two of its financing companies for Puppyland, Credova and Mypetfunding.com, have made it clear they offer leasing, not financing.
Credova has this statement at the bottom of its website (I added the CAPS and bolding) :
“CREDOVA IS NOT A LENDER. Credova provides a software platform for retailers to access third-party providers for LEASE-TO-OWN financing and other lending products based on a consumer’s credit profile.”
The website for Mypetfunding.com, the company that leased the puppy to the Carters, says it offers closed end consumer leases, not financing.
It even clarifies the difference between financing and leasing: “A loan is the borrowing of money while a lease is a term rental agreement for the use of specific property.”
Nothing I’ve seen on Puppyland’s site, Credova’s site, or mypetfunding.com indicate customers could get 2 different interest rates depending on if they signed a lease or a financing agreement.
Did Puppyland Really Stop Offering Pet Leases?
Ms. Kerr also told the reporter that “they still do pet financing, but recently stopped offering pet leases.”
But as I just noted, both Credova and mypetfunding.com unequivocally state they do NOT offer financing for puppy purchases.
If Puppyland no longer offers puppy leasing, why does it have a link to Credova’s site on its puppy payment page?
Ms. Kerr made another misleading statement when she told the reporter that Puppyland “doesn’t benefit from customers financing pets.”
When someone signs a lease agreement, the leasing company buys the puppy from Puppyland and retains ownership of it until the customer makes all the monthly payments.
Since the customer couldn’t afford to buy the puppy outright, financing/leasing allows Puppyland to make the sale to a customer who otherwise couldn’t have bought it.
Isn’t making a sale a benefit to Puppyland?
Also, without financing leasing, Puppyland would also have to continue paying for food and other expenses for the puppy.
In other words, the less time Puppyland has the puppy, the more money it makes on a sale.
Clearly, Puppyland benefits from customers financing/leasing pets.
If it didn’t, why would it offer customers the option to do it?
I Still Don’t Like Pet Leasing
As I wrote in my earlier post, I think it’s perfectly fine to lease inanimate objects like cars or appliances.
But leasing puppies, in my opinion, is wrong.
Even the American Kennel Club, the leading proponent for breeders like the one that supplies Farmland with puppies, opposes pet leasing. Its Canine Legislation Position Statement says: “AKC supports a ban on predatory pet leasing schemes that victimize potential owners, undermine a lifetime commitment to a pet, and do not confer the rights and responsibilities associated with legal ownership of a pet.”
Ms. Kerr’s misleading responses to KIRO’s reporter only reinforced my beliefs about the puppy leasing industry.
STOP SUPPORTING PUPPY STORES!!!… if they had taken the time to research reputable breeders they would have likely realized that a Husky was not an ideal breed choice for them before bringing the dog home and would have spent half of that on a well bred dog from health tested parents (Hips, elbows, and genetic panel).
People need to start being accountable for their decisions.
Puppy stores are known to misrepresent the sources of their pups as well as selling overpriced dogs.
They are a poor choice for buying a puppy and a 30 second Google search would indicate that as well.
Puppyland DOES use reputable breeders! Do you research. The puppies come with AKC registration and ours even came with health certificates back to the grandparents. Stop trying to demean a good store!
Just because it comes with an AKC registration doesn’t mean that it came from a reputable breeder. In fact a reputable breeder would never sell a puppy to Puppyland. Nor would you have to pay the outrageous prices. Puppyland preys on emotions of people and the convenience of walking out of the store with a puppy.
Pets with AKC registration mean only that the parents were registered and the puppies were eligible for registration. That does NOT make the breeder reputable.
“Responsible dog breeders work hard to produce healthy, and well socialized puppies. They may interview potential buyers, do home checks, and will remain a resource for buyers for the lives of those dogs.” Obviously, breeders selling to retail outlets are not remotely interested in the puppies, only the profit they will receive.
Just because they are AKC and have their lineage doesn’t mean they are from quality breeders or that the information is even correct. Idk if it happens at puppyland or not but it’s not unheard of breeders falsifying documents!!!
WOW!! REALLY!!?? I guess we see who is either a company rep OR is in bed with them some other way!!! As someone who has NEVER bought a dog or cat from a store (we have PLENTY just show up from being dumped out here far from town where we live!! In fact i believe a horrible lady in town who trapped her neighbor’s cat brought it out here just to feed the coyotes!!! “Coyotes gotta eat too” was her statement to the paper when they found out what she was doing!! We just had #s 12 and 13 show up scared and hungry early last spring!!!
We will NEVER turn away a stray dumped animal!!) I can NOT EVEN imagine LEASING A PET!!! HOW COULD YOU EVER SUPPORT a store who would LET someone LEASE a family member????!!!! That is the MOST RIDICULOUS thing i have EVER HEARD!!! Even IF you are rich and callous enough to do it….. when the lease is up YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT BACK!! JUST LIKE A CAR OR HOUSE!! STUFF comes and goes but PETS ARE FOREVER RIGHT!!??? EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY MANY MANY PETS IS AS MUCH A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY AS MY ACTUAL FAMILY IS!!!!! I just CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE THE CONCEPT!!! Could you give back the kids you HAD to adopt ćause they was SOOOOO CUTE!!!??? NEITHER COULD I!!! I not only pity the poor animals but i have ZERO RESPECT for ANYONE THAT DOES IT!!!
Its not that they really “Lease” the dog. They use that language to bypass laws against predatory lending. Most states have a cap on interest rates they are allowed to charge. If it is a “Lease” those laws no longer apply.
I was also mislead:-( now they are saying I owe $4500x
I’m so sorry. Do you still have the puppy?
You shouldn’t buy things you can’t afford!
They shouldn’t allow people to purchase a dog if they can’t afford it.
As a veterinarian, puppy leases cause an issue when the puppy needs medical care. Veterinarians are required to have a doctor-client-patient relationship before diagnosing, treating, dispensing or performing surgery. The client is the owner of the pet. In this case, the owner-client is the leasing agent until the lease is paid off. By law and under licensing requirements, treating a leased pet without getting permission from the leasing company would be against the law and a veterinarian could lose his/her license. Even if the veterinarian could reach the leasing company, who in the company has the legal authority to give permission…the CEO?..the janitor?
Great points, thank you. I’d never thought of that. I’ll try to find out how this works.
Please please please promote rescuing instead of buying a puppy! I work at Seattle Humane and we receive puppies ALL THE TIME and the adoption fee is only $350! All puppies are spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccines along with us talking about puppy ownership and what to expect with certain breeds. You even get 6 weeks of puppy training for free.
I can’t stress this enough. We are here for you for all your puppy needs!
Puppyland has advantages that your hit piece ignores. If you go through a breeder your price is not necessarily less and you must have all the money up front when getting your puppy. You almost always wait, sometimes on a waiting list, for a litter and the breed you want. That could take 6 months or a year. A breeder may also not be in your state so you are paying shipping for a puppy you have never seen. Puppyland has a variety of breeds, they are up front about costs, they set you up with a veterinarian visit and certain guarantees about health and they run a clean facility. Their puppies have AKC lines and have health certificates for the parents. We bought our Irish setter puppy there for Christmas. Put a nice downpayment down and my payments are only 100 per month. I am also paying it down in big chunks to avoid interest. Out the door we paid $1000. Total cost was about 3500. Happy with our puppy. She is awesome and I would buy a dog from them again. They act as a retailer with breeders as the wholesaler. This is how every retail store works!! If you can’t afford their prices then don’t buy a dog from them!
Most reputable breeders will have a wait and also health certifications. Even though puppies from this or any other store setting may have AKC or CKC registration, that only means the supposed family line has been registered. Most people do know that many of the puppy mills in the midwest have almost every animal they pass through ‘registered’ right? It means nothing in terms of health or true careful breeding.
True.
Just another way predators to exploit people when they are feeling emotional whhem they see a puppy. Predatory lending has come to the already despicable world of pet stores! Talk about a match made in hell. Anyone who tries to say the puppies come from “reputable” breeders is full of it. Anyone who knows anything about true reputable breeders is they would never schlep dogs to people to adopy out in a store environment. A good breeder would have made sure the people had the means, lifestyle, yard and understanding of what a husky needs and what is a good fit for the dog. Good breeders contracts are super detailed and never allow rehoming without their involvement so once again NO REPUTABLE BREEDERS sell dogs to Petstores. How people sleep at night taking advantage of people’s emotions and not even caring if the home is a correct fit for the puppy’s needs today and forever. I’m sure this pet store is selling all kinds of dogs to people in apartments which is not a good fit for a husky etc. Dogs ALWAYS suffer when people dom’t consider THEIR needs 1st!
When decisions are based on money the dogs suffer.
So true.. Very sad, but true.
A dog is not a status symbol, a dog is a relationship. Investing in that relationship does not mean making payments at the local puppyland on a lease to own contract. It means paying for training, hiring a behaviorist taking your dog on adventures and keeping it socialized. Impulsive puppy buyers do not make good dog owners. After the puppy cuteness is gone these dogs oftern end up on craigslist. Under headings like “beautiful husky Australian Shepherd, pitbull etc. nine months old, needs training nips children food aggressive etc. etc. “ Their impulsive puppy purchase is now a serious problem. For all potential dog owners out there who want to buy a puppy I strongly suggest you get an adult dog that has already had some training and socialization it will fit in better with your family and be a great friend. People who purchase a puppy store Dog are not thinking clearly. These dogs come with many genetic health and temperament risks. Responsible dog ownership requires clear thinking, time and work. That’s what love is.
Great points, thank you.