329 Avi Display Quality (1/2)
Chapter 329: Avi Display Quality
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were two aspects that decided the prices of certain pets—their popularity among the public and the supply/demand relationship. In recent years, as the memes featuring Shiba Inus went viral on the internet, increasingly more Chinese people considered raising such an adorable dog of small to medium size.
Shiba Inu was a breed that had a bright fur color and an attracting appearance. Its relatively small size indicated that it wouldn’t be a threat to the elderly and children. It was gentle and independent, with a mysterious yet funny smile on its face oftentimes, and thanks to the favorable reputation of the movie A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies, Shiba Inus were gaining more popularity.
Deng Jie had been to a lot of pet shops, and she knew that Shiba Inu was an expensive breed. Therefore, when she heard a purebred Shiba Inu cost only RMB 3,000, she decided to make her move. However, when people became greedy, they were vulnerable to frauds.
According to her, there were a lot of customers surrounding the stand, and two puppies had been sold, while a few other customers were expressing their intentions to purchase the puppies. She was panicked, thinking that she couldn’t wait anymore, or else she would have had to pick from what was left behind, so she chose one puppy right away.
Before she paid the seller, although she was aware that verbal promise had no binding effect, she inquired him whether it was a purebred Shiba Inu anyway. The seller patted on his chest as a guarantee, reassuring her that if she found it was not a purebred Shiba Inu, he would refund at any time.
Just like that, Deng Jie joyfully brought the so-called ”purebred Shiba Inu” to her home. Her husband was also very happy, praising her for her wisdom in securing such a good deal. Neither of them doubted whether the puppy was purebred.
Zhang Zian thought she had finished her narrative, but Deng Jie continued, ”To our surprise, the puppy looked lively at the beginning, but after only a few days, it suddenly got very sick, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea. It lost its appetite, keeping its mouth closed in front of meat. And it often lay on the ground without moving a muscle, like it was dead…My husband and I became panicked, and we hurriedly brought it to visit a pet clinic near our home. After diagnosis, the veterinarian told us it had been infected with a canine parvovirus that had a high mortality rate, and that we should prepare for the worst. Besides, the veterinarian also told us that our puppy didn’t seem like a Shiba Inu, but rather was a puppy of another breed!”
Snowy felt sorry for Deng Jie’s encounter, and the audience of her live broadcast were indignant about her misfortune.
”This must be a week dog!”
”I’ve heard of weekdays and weekends, what does week dog mean?”
Someone explained, ”Week dogs mean those sick dogs that can’t last a week after bringing them home.”
Other spectators started cursing, ”F**k those unscrupulous dog peddlers who deceive people with sick and hybrid week dogs!”
These comments floating on the screen didn’t influence the conversation between Deng Jie and Zhang Zian. He asked, ”Did your puppy survive?”
Deng Jie wiped the corners of her eyes and lowered her head in dismay, ”No. I spent a few thousand RMB buying the puppy and seeking treatment for it, but in the end, I got nothing…My husband also had a fight with me. He praised me for closing such a good deal before, and then he complained that I was being penny wise and pound foolish…What was I thinking? I could’ve bought a kitten or a puppy in your shop with that amount of money. If only I didn’t buy that puppy…”
”Did you go to seek compensation from that dog dealer?” asked Zhang Zian.
”I did. But he asserted that I didn’t buy any puppy from his stand, and that I was just a troublemaker sent by his competitors…” Deng Jie’s eyes turned red. To save money for her family, she had painstakingly searched for a suitable pet, yet in the end, she lost her money and her pet. Instead of comforting her, her husband complained about her pettiness…It was impossible that she wasn’t frustrated and sad, for she had cried in private several times.
There was no way she could get a refund, for she had no invoice or agreement for buying the puppy. Without any proof attesting she had bought a pet in that stand, it was no use for her to call the police or file a complaint to the association of consumers. Besides, the association of consumers had always been aware of such chaotic phenomena in the dog market. As long as the transactions were not coerced, they wouldn’t bother to interfere.
Zhang Zian felt her encounter related to his life. Growing up in his family’s pet shop since he was little, he had heard about many frauds related to pet purchasing from his parents. With the prosperity of the pet market, the frequencies of people being frauded were getting increasingly higher, yet there was no solution to stop such phenomena. It was a paradox for people who wanted to buy purebred pets yet were reluctant to pay the accordingly high prices. For those who were experts in pet raising or well-prepared for the potential circumstances in the dog market, they could take the risk and give the dog market a try; but basically, the ordinary public would be deceived.
”And you are here today, because…”