A California company that provided financing to Massachusetts residents who wanted to lease rather than buy dogs has agreed to stop that because it's illegal to rent pets here, according to a settlement agreement filed in Suffolk Superior Court today.
According to a settlement with the state Attorney General's office, Monterey Financial Services of Oceanside, CA, was financing 211 dog leases in Massachusetts as of Oct. 29, 2021, with a total loan value of $710,335.20.
In signing the agreement, the company admitted no violations of anything, ever, but said it will simply hand over ownership of the dogs to the current lessees. It also agreed to help a number of residents fix their credit reports, damaged when the company began doggedly pursuing them for payments not made.
The company also agreed to pay $175,000 to Massachusetts residents who wound up paying more on their loans than their "products" were initially worth and $50,000 to the Attorney General's office. The state will use its money to monitor the payments and credit aid to affected consumers and for general consumer education.
The state reached similar agreements with two other dog leasers last year.
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 Complete settlement | 212.95 KB |
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Comments
Was the dog sent by post?
By BostonDog
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:01pm
I'm putting a lien on the dog and holding out for a Range Rover.
/s
Roll over, Rover!
By SamWack
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:12pm
Stand up! Good dog.
Doing the math…
By Bob Leponge
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:31pm
$710K in loan value for 211 dogs…. Just sayin’
Maybe a bunch were labrador retrievers
By ST
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:43pm
Because we all know hot the market is for labs in eastern Massachusetts.
Try French Bulldogs
By robo
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 3:03pm
We got one two years ago and it was a difficult and expensive process.
I think you missed the pun...
By goeslikethis
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 3:09pm
NVM. This thread gives me chest pains.
Ugh, 0 for 2 today
By robo
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 4:18pm
Thanks for letting me see the light!
I count two
By tachometer
Thu, 04/14/2022 - 7:40am
Both the lab and the retriever part work for a pun about eastern MA rental dogs.
Life science labs
By brianjdamico
Thu, 04/14/2022 - 10:04am
If your dog donates blood for research purposes, it becomes a life science lab. My lab-mix (mixed use lab?) just became far more valuable.
I "rented" a schnauzer one time in Amsterdam
By DapperO
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:42pm
but wouldn't say she was a dog.
Domestic animal trafficking.
By Meowmers Neely
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 1:46pm
Domestic animal trafficking.
"Leash to own?" (slurring drunk)
To each his/her/their own.
But not in the commonwealth.
I dunno... I guess I'm a lowbrow for wanting a shelter dog via lots of visits first to find one where we're mutually willing to bond.
I have lived
By goeslikethis
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 2:33pm
my entire life blissfully ignorant of the fact that pet leasing was even something that existed, much less something that is legal in most states. (I am aware of the designer dog and purebred puppy mill industry, but still.)
Utterly disgusting on every level.
in the old days
By anon
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 4:03pm
no one ever paid for a dog, and virtually all the dogs we saw in most Boston neighborhoods were mongrels. Strange people in places like Beacon Hill and parts of Milton would have wimpy pure bred dogs, but they were no good for playing.
It's not the old days
By merlinmurph
Thu, 04/14/2022 - 9:51am
Try, just try, to be a little less judgemental.
Some people want a specific type of dog for various reasons. Very good reasons. There's no reason to shit on people because they spend a few bucks on a pooch they want.
FWIW, I have volunteered at a local animal shelter for ~20 years and encourage people to adopt. However, the most important consideration when getting a dog is to get the dog you want. There are all types of dogs with all sorts of personalities and all sorts of other traits. Figure out what kind of dog would fit into your life and look for that dog.
One of the best pieces of advice I've heard is to adopt a 1-year-old or older dog. The dog has grown to its adult size and you know what you're getting - mostly. And this is exactly the reason people like to get a dog from a reputable breeder.
I've seen too many people return an adopted dog because they simply chose the wrong dog for them.
hey, sorry if I offended you
By anon
Thu, 04/14/2022 - 10:10pm
I was being facetious, although the majority mongrel part is true. I admire your work, and actually love dogs, including the expensive ones. Good recommendation for adopting year old or older dog.
Is my rent a kid business
By anon
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 2:51pm
Is my rent a kid business idea off the table?
Seriously ...
By Somebody Else.
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 6:08pm
... have to imagine there'd be a line of folks ready to sign up Spawn for a little cash flow.
Welcome to the sharing economy.
By Section77
Wed, 04/13/2022 - 6:30pm
Somewhere an idiot said “it will be the Uber of dogs!”
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