Ed, I find it amazing that expensive dogs for $500-$600 are flying out of the pet stores even in these bad times, yet the pet shelters are full of abandoned dogs, including pedigrees, because people can’t afford to keep them. Every time I visit certain pet shops, I find there’s a whole new batch of pups. What’s happening here?

Dog Dismay

People are snobs, and they need the perfect puggle as a status symbol instead of one of the mutts at the pound who will probably live twice as long. You say they’ve got “pedigrees” at the shelter, but do they have their papers?—Ed. Note