March 2, 2019

City seizes a family's dog and sells it on eBay.

They owed the city money, including the "dog tax," and the dog, being a purebred pug, seemed like a valuable asset, with a resale value estimated at $850, NPR reports.

This happened in Germany — and don't you think the interest in purebred animals is racist?

The sale happened last November, and the reason we're hearing about it now is that the new owner is trying to get $2,000 from the city because the dog, advertised as healthy, had an expensive medical problem. The new owner wants the $850 purchase price back too.

62 comments:

R C Belaire said...

Caveat emptor.

rhhardin said...

Cave canem.

Tank said...

This happened in Germany — and don't you think the interest in purebred animals is racist?

And not just racist, but … NAZI !!!

rhhardin said...

and don't you think the interest in purebred animals is racist?

Right, there's nothing wrong with racist. What's wrong is ill will.

The left likes to link the two. The one deserves the opprobrium of the other.

Supposing US blacks have an average IQ of 86, a racist might think what can we do structurally so that everybody winds up happy. No ill will.

The non-racist view is certain to make everybody unhappy, by contrast, ill will or not.

Ralph L said...

I wonder if local governments in other countries can get away with taking well-treated family dogs. But Germans have been well trained.

stevew said...

If you wrote this as fiction no one would believe it. Truth is stranger than fiction.

gilbar said...

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/hhs-extends-contract-make-humanized-mice-aborted-baby-parts-another!!!

Black Bellamy said...

THIS is why we need the 2nd Amendment. It's not about overthrowing the tyrants, it's not about keeping your family safe, it's not about open carry.

It's about shooting the fucker that comes to sell your dog.

gilbar said...

HUMANIZED MICE!!!!!

BarrySanders20 said...

Brexiteers say "See?"

There has to be a German word for when you owe the city money, including the "dog tax," and the dog, being a purebred, seems like a valuable asset, with a high resale value, but the new owner is trying to get over twice the purchase price from the city because the dog, advertised as healthy, had an expensive medical problem.

john mosby said...

First they came for the pugs....

JSM

Jamie said...

I'm still struggling with the cruelty to the dog.

Ray - SoCal said...

Very German.

Legal, but lacking in compassion.

traditionalguy said...

They could cut the dog in two and give half to each side. If not, put it up for auction and divide the money left after paying the Lawyers.

The Elder said...

Racist? No.

The breeding of dogs or other animals is only done to provide an expectation of certain characteristics in the animal. The picture with the NPR article shows pugs of two very different colors, but similar size and appearance. Dog breeds also have characteristics of intelligence, level of activity, and "personality." After all, dog owners tend to anthropomorphize their pets even though they are not "persons."

The policewoman who bought the dog clearly expected to breed the dog and sell puppies to willing buyers through arms-length, consensual transactions. That is what caused her to estimate the dog's value and make the purchase. Her purchase was a business transaction rather than the purchase of a pet. Not all business transactions work out as planned.

This story speaks not to racism, but rather to the ignorance of people who want ugly dogs with smashed-in faces. Now if it had been about beautiful dogs like, Labrador Retrievers, . . .

alanc709 said...

gilbar said...
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/hhs-extends-contract-make-humanized-mice-aborted-baby-parts-another!!!

Cordwainer Smith have a new story coming out?

traditionalguy said...

And what do German Pure Breds need??? Living Space. The Russians had better get ready again.

Fernandinande said...

Machine translation of German website -

Advertisement promises a healthy dog

"Hair-raising" Michaela Jordan calls what she experiences as the new owner of Edda since the beginning of December. She wanted to buy a pug, she told the "AT". At the beginning of December, a friend pointed her to an ad in the classified ad portal. "Sweet pug lady with pedigree for sale! Not castrated! "Is in the ad, which is the" AT "as a photo. The price for the one-year-old bitch: 750 euros negotiable. The seller calls his first name, which means "private provider". For more information, there are two phone numbers of the city Ahlen. The animal is vaccinated and chipped and after consultation with the responsible veterinarian healthy, it says in the text.

As a police officer, she has been skeptical about her profession, says Michaela Jordan. "I initially believed in a fake ad." For a pug would certainly prices from 1500 to 2000 euros paid. The ad was not a fake. She had heard more about her call to the city administration. The employee told her that Pope Edda would be seized because the owner of the city guilty of dog tax deductions, among other things.

In response to her incredulous request as to whether the administration was actually hiring dogs and selling on Ebay, she was told that everything was legal.

...

A week later, Michaela Jordan said, she found that Edda was not healthy. "She has a massive eye injury, which had to treat the vet."

+++

It sure sounds like police officer Michaela Jordan is trying to pull a fast one.

CachorroQuente said...

Of course it's racist. In the same way that preference for varietal wines is racist. The most racist varietal is, of course, Muscat.

Rory said...

"This happened in Germany — and don't you think the interest in purebred animals is racist?"

Ironically, white German Sheperds are barred from show competition. Just because.

mockturtle said...

Machine translations leave much to be desired.

SayAahh said...

It always comes back to bite you in the end.

Temujin said...

These are the Democratic Socialists at work. DemSocs in Europe and the US (read: AOC) are always telling us that they know better ("I'm the boss") and we're better off letting all decisions be made by The State. (of course they are the state) This country was founded on the idea of strictly limiting the Federal Government (The State) and leaving all other decisions to the actual local governments, or The People. The idea was to allow individuals to live for their own sake, as long as they did not trample on the rights of others. The idea was to protect your life, your property, and your ability to pursue your own happiness (liberty).

At this point we're so far off of that course now that anyone under 50 would not even conceive of not looking to the gummint for direction. But...taking a dog away? The State taking the dog away?? That's one tea barrel too far, even for Germany.

I say, Revolution! The Pug Revolution.

Bob Boyd said...

Suing for this money is completely unnecessary.

Just tape the bad eye shut, breed the dog, harvest the pups and sell them all but one, put the dog with the bad eye to sleep, laugh all the way to the bank.

Fernandinande said...

In the same way that preference for varietal wines is racist.

Preferring white wine is racist.

Fernandinande said...

Just tape the bad eye shut,

I volunteered at a dog-pound that had a really funny one-eyed pug, I almost took him home despite the fact I don't especially like weird-looking dogs and you could hear him breathing from 20 feet away.

Jarby said...

Virtually all "purebred" dogs have the genetic propensity for massive health problems due to inbreeding and crappy breeders. Buy a purebred pug, you should be expecting to pony up for vet bills once they stop being able to breathe normally.
Purebreds are bred to match *appearance*, not temperament, not IQ, not ability to complete a given task. Anyone telling you different is either a breeder justifying their existence, or a credulous chump who's already spent thousands of dollars on a dog that is genetically doomed to have a effed-up hip or spine in a few years.
Reference

Meade said...

"Now if it had been about beautiful dogs like, Labrador Retrievers, . . ."

Heh. Coincidentally, all week long, I've been observing to Mrs. Meade out loud: You know, as a human being, he's sadly repulsive. But if only Michael Cohen could've been a Labrador Retriever, he'd be quite adorable.

Greg Hlatky said...

Virtually all "purebred" dogs have the genetic propensity for massive health problems due to inbreeding

More problems come from outbreeding than selective, careful breeding along lines. And it's a diction that mixed-breed dogs have fewer health problems.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Well, this is just stupid.....stealing the dog and selling it to get back taxes. They only got $850. Dumb. What were they thinking!!!!

They should have confiscated the children, put them to work and taken their wages to pay off the debt. Depending on how old the children are, the government could have reaped much MORE than a measly $850. Possibly years of wages to reap. And if there are several children a multiplying factor. A much better result garnering the government more than the amount owed.

Of course there would be some offsetting costs of housing and feeding the children. Being small they don't need much. Put them in with all the other children of deadbeat parents. There still would be a positive cash flow.

As a bonus to the children after, say, 5 to 10 years of working, they might even come out of this with a trade or a skill. Yay! It is for the children.

I don't know why the Government can't think of these things. Why we could call it indentured servitude or temporary slavery or something.

JAORE said...

You owe us a LOT of back taxes. Your file says you have a 14 year-old girl. Trot her out for our appraiser to inspect.

Fernandinande said...

Look at these wretched creatures

The Elder said...

Meade said : "But if only Michael Cohen could've been a Labrador Retriever, he'd be quite adorable."

Probably not. Michael Cohen would more likely have problems due to inbreeding, outbreeding, and just plain crappy breeding. He's the product of the Puppy-mill of Manhattan Lawyering.

Lucien said...

Here in America we would just have SWAT team shoot the dog as part of the War on Drugs.

Bob Boyd said...

"Michael Cohen would more likely have problems due to inbreeding"

The moral equivalent of hip displasia.

Bob Boyd said...

"Seizing the pug" would be a term of art for getting whatever little bit you can out of someone who is essentially judgement proof.

Ann Althouse said...

"But if only Michael Cohen could've been a Labrador Retriever, he'd be quite adorable."

What Meade keeps saying is that Michael Cohen, as a human being, already looks like a Labrador Retriever.

That sad face, it's what makes our hearts go out to Labs.

I listened to Cohen on the car radio and had a cool, distanced reaction. But when I saw him later on TV, I couldn't even listen to the words he was saying. I was so fixated on his face. Beyond his usual facial structure, which is Lab-like, he looked to be in a terrible state of anxiety, desperation, and fear. I found it too painful to watch.

Ann Althouse said...

Basically, I cannot watch the news on TV. I am entirely focused on the faces and I can't listen to what they say. I catch some TV when I'm with someone who is watching TV, but I mostly look away. If I want to hear what they say, I play solitaire on my iPad. I can't hear them while looking at them!

I mostly rely on reading the news. TV is crazyworld. The newsfolk have absurdly emotional faces — Jake Tapper, Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson... If I watch, I just talk about how they look, and they look SO upset. It's horrible. I don't watch horror movies, so I also don't watch the news.

policraticus said...

Government is just another word for things we do together.... BHO

Meade said...

"'Seizing the pug' would be a term of art for getting whatever little bit you can out of someone who is essentially judgement proof."

Excellent. Similarly, "when pugs fry" might some day stand in for when someone is unjustly over-punished for someone else's capital crime. Ex: That poor old white MAGA wearing pug nearly fried cuzza Jussie's hoax.

Ray - SoCal said...

Thanks - one of them most insightful comments on Cohen!

My gut feeling is they threatened his wife with jail time, which is why he’s doing what he’s doing. It reminds me of a confession at a communist show trial. Not how I believe how the US system should work.

>I listened to Cohen on the car radio and had a cool, distanced reaction. But when I saw him later on TV, I couldn't even listen to the words
> he was saying. I was so fixated on his face. Beyond his usual facial structure, which is Lab-like, he looked to be in a terrible state of
> anxiety, desperation, and fear. I found it too painful to watch.

Bob Boyd said...

I kept a big black lab named Jack for about 2 years. It belonged to a friend of mine, who wasn't in a position to have his dog for a while, so I took care of it. Great dog. Liked to tip over my neighbor's garbage. Nobody's perfect.
We used to stay up late sometimes, Jack and I, drinking and talking. Jack told me something once that I'll never forget. He said, to eat a dirty diaper out of a trash can by the light of the moon was to unwittingly condemn yourself to a life of nostalgia.
That's the thing about conversation with dogs, sometimes you have to talk about what they want to talk about.

Rusty said...

Ann Althouse @ 9:15
You are an adorably complicated woman, Althouse.
Meade you lucky bastard.

bagoh20 said...

Once humans created the idea of race, and especially after deciding that noticing it was evil, everything was bound to become racist. I challenge you to think of something that nobody could find racist.

rcocean said...

Carpe Pug

rcocean said...

Nobody does law and order like the Germans.

Leland said...

I don't watch horror movies, so I also don't watch the news.

I can't say I know anybody that routinely watches the news that I consider mentally healthy. On the contrary, they tend to be overly paranoid of very rare events that they are sure will affect them. Which does indeed seem like living in a horror movie.

The Elder said...

Michael Cohen is no Labrador Retriever. He's a Basset Hound

Achilles said...

I think Cohen is getting the short end of the stick.

Mueller and his friends in NY threatened to throw Cohen’s wife in jail.

To some extent he is just doing what he has to do.

The people who should hang are the prosecutors.

Ann Althouse said...

"I think Cohen is getting the short end of the stick."

Now, I'm picturing dog-man Cohen with a stick in his mouth.

Skeptical Voter said...

Our host ought to focus on local news in places like Los Angeles. All too often you are not looking at faces---you are looking at car chases. One was on last night--a stolen truck chased until the vehicle ran out of gas. In LA we live in Car toon world.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Michael Cohen is no Labrador Retriever. He's a Basset Hound

No no no ....the Basset Hound is Brit Hume. He reminds me of Droopy Dog from the cartoons.

I also often look at people and decide what kind of animal they resemble.

Saint Croix said...

Unborn animals (that puppy is cute)

And of course people are animals, too

We buy and sell dogs, but you should never reduce your dog to money. People on the left reduce everything to money, including babies. The violence is horrific, but what inspires the violence is this philosophy that money is all important.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

Heute gehort uns Deutschland, morgen die ganze Pug !

Big Mike said...

Heh. Coincidentally, all week long, I've been observing to Mrs. Meade out loud: You know, as a human being, he's sadly repulsive. But if only Michael Cohen could've been a Labrador Retriever, he'd be quite adorable.

Nope. Not him.

Kevin said...

City imposes dog tax.

People don't pay.

Dogs seized and sold to pay tax.

City sued because dog not healthy.

Hilarity ensues.

Kevin said...

Now, I'm picturing dog-man Cohen with a stick in his mouth.

Stick thrown by Democrats as he tries to see where it goes and run after it.

"Get the boxes of documents, boy!"

"Bring them back here!"

Molly said...

(eaglebeak)

Well, Germany is the country whose most important philosopher wrote The Philosophy of Right: the divine importance of the State.

Meade said...

He said, “that’s okay, Boyd, uh just don’t feed him from the can...”

Meade said...

Man, @Rusty, don’t I know it !

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Poor Pug.

Meade said...

I said, "wait a minute, Checkers, you know— I'm a peaceful man..."