Today on Vancouver Craigslist Pets, a woman is trying to palm off a puppy she's had for a week. She claims to have bought it from a private breeder in Victoria. It's something called a Pompoo, the progeny of a horny boy toy Poodle and an even hornier Pomeranian. Here's the kicker. She says they "paid quite a bit for it," and "though we don't expect to be fully compensated, hope we won't take too much of a loss."Here is my message to her:
There is no such breed as a Pompoo. It's a mutt. A Heinz 57, as we fondly called such ditch-bred accidents on the Prairies. If they charged you more than $25 over the cost of puppy vaccinations and hopefully, a nice shiny neutering certificate, you got ripped.
We're more realistic on the Prairies. Everyone knows that should your bitch be in such an accident, there's a procedure. First, you phone everyone you know and beg them to take a puppy. If that doesn't work, you resignedly place an ad in the classifieds, offering the mutts for Free. You might add a humble, "The mother's real sweet."
Now the whole city knows about your bad luck. People slap you on the back, shake their heads and buy you a beer. If you called the puppies "Pompoos," that would become your nickname. As in, "Here comes Pompoo! What's shakin', Pompoo?"
If you charged hundreds of dollars for your accident, you'd be laughed out of town. This is how normal people behave.
Back to your current dilemma. Call them up and try to return it. A real breeder will always take back a dog they produced, as well as refund your money, or at least part of it. Breeders often operate at a loss, just to improve the breed they love. Hold up a minute. You can't improve a breed that doesn't exist: Pompoo. Please.
I don't like the Puggles pseudo-breed either, but at least someone had the wit to find a vaguely Harry Potterish name. As disgusting as is the activity, you have to admire the marketing. And I'm waiting for the wave of Golden Retriever/Cocker Spaniel crosses. A hit amongst a certain segment of society, I'm sure.
Betcha the pseudo-breeder won't take back your pseudo-breed. The "breeder" is likely a pet store, prime distributor for puppy mills.
"...hope we won't take too much of a loss." Lady, do you think anyone cares you dropped a pile of bucks on a mutt, are trying to dump it one week later, and might take a financial loss? What planet do you live on? Oh. Planet PomPOO.
Copyright 2008 Reisa Stone
Posts
