Pet Leasing – The Latest Trend in Pet Ownership

Voice Over: Quinn and Cantara.

Cantara: Quinn and Cantara, PYX 106, 1-800-LAW-1010, 1800LAW1010.com. Paul Harding from Martin, Harding & Mazzotti on the horn. Hey, Paul. How are ya?

Paul: Hey, good morning guys, good morning.

Cantara: So, I… maybe the term “pet leasing” is a little, is a little misleading. Isn’t it more like rent-to-own the pet? Is that how you read about it?

Paul: You’re absolutely right. You sign a contract, you pay for a year or two or three, and then at the end, you own your pet.

Quinn: What if I miss a payment, Paul? Is that the dog’s fault? Who decides when they…can they extend me dog-leasing credit?

Paul: Well, they say they’ll come and they can repossess your pet. They’ll give you options, obviously, to pay. Then, they’ll repossess, but the reality of it is, you know, at a year and a half, your old dog just doesn’t have much of a value, right? The value is always as a puppy..

Quinn: That’s scary.

Paul: …and they price it around purchasing, so…

Quinn: That’s so sad.

Cantara: Now, see, that reason right there, is that why some states have outlawed pet leasing, because we’re starting to treat living creatures like objects?

Paul: You’re exactly right, I mean, legally, it’s okay. I mean, you can, we lease our vehicles, people lease furniture, they do bus-, you know, all kinds of things, and they use here, number one, high, high interest rates. So, the predatory leasing component is there.

Cantara: Oh, I got you.

Paul: You buy a dog for $1200, you might end up paying in two years, close to $2600, and, but yeah, the truth is, they’re furry, they’re our friends, and it just feels very insensitive.

Quinn: But, my baby daughter needs a dog. I’m willing to extend myself out a little bit. Yeah, and how about the repo guy who’s gonna come knocking at your door to bring Fluffy back to the leasing department? [inaudible 00:01:42]

Paul: They also didn’t have any clauses in there if something happens to the dog. So, if the dog died four months later, you’re still paying two years later.

Cantara: Lemon law. You’re still on the hook.

Paul: Yeah.

Cantara: So, I see it’s like a thing in California. Is it a big deal in New York? Should we worry about it?

Paul: Well, there’s proposed legislation. I think that there is definitely energy to it. And, there seems to be gaining momentum, so, I think eventually, they will pass something. But, right now, you can go to the pet store and overspend on everything, including a new animal for your home.

Cantara: God, it just seems like the next step. Rescue a dog.

Cantara: It’s very bad.

Quinn: Rescue a dog.

Paul: Exactly.

Cantara: French bull dog. It has a sticker price of $1,450.00. That’s $123.00 every month for two years. At the end of it, with interest, you pay $3,000.00, and that whole time up to it, you never really own the dog.

Quinn: Yeah, and you’re probably harboring some sort of, you know, I don’t know, resentment against the thing for being there every month and paying for it every month. Plus, you gotta buy food.

Cantara: Yeap.

Paul: Yeah, they’re expensive.

Quinn: I see you rent a cat here for about 75 cents a month.

Cantara: That’s good news. I might get six or seven at that price.

Quinn: All right. So, I think we’re anti-pet leasing on this show.

Cantara: If you go to the story from News 10, which you know, obviously, they’re very pet-friendly with Cat Daddy over there. But, it’s like 90, yeah, 93-7% they’re against it, yeah. So, Paul, you were, you’re coming on to talk pet leasing, so I don’t want to throw you any curve balls. But, and I don’t want to get political, but is it unusual to be an attorney and only have three clients or is that common?

Paul: I don’t know anyone who has three clients. It’s sort of you know what a nice idea, right? you know just kind of keep things a bit simple, and I know who we’re talking about here, you know, Mr. Cohen. And, you’ve got also, you know, all this stuff happening right now that the remainder of his client base, which is very small, they appear to be getting scrutinized also. So, you know, we’ve got attorney/client privilege issues here, which probably the federal government can get around.

Cantara: I was gonna say, because it’s federal, right?

Paul: Yeah. And so, in essence, yeah, this is a very unique situation and boy, we’re watching it really closely.

Cantara: And then did you, what about the pizzazz of Stormy Daniels’ attorney? He draws me in. He’s so charismatic.

Quinn: It’s kind of exciting.

Cantara: Have you noticed that?

Paul: I haven’t seen a lot on him, but it would appear consistent with his client. Yeah, he would need to have…

Cantara: You’re such a pro, Paul. I love it.

Quinn: Yeah, we appreciate that.

Cantara: “It would appear consistent with his client.”

Quinn: “It would appear consistent with his client.” That’s great.

Cantara: All right. So, there you go. We got a little bit on that from Paul, and we appreciate it. Thanks, Paul.

Paul: Sure.

Cantara: Don’t lease your pet.

Quinn: Don’t lease your pet. Paul Harding for Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. 1-800-LAW-1010, and then, 1800law1010.com. Thanks, Paul.

Paul: Okay, guys. Talk to you.

Cantara: See ya, buddy.