oh Japan you never cease to amuse...

[May-chan]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Japane ... 75122.html

[Raleigh]

Now that is terrible. I may not like poodles, unless I want to find something of a comparable size to a nicely sized rat for demonstration purposes, but I think that kind of thing is a bit underhanded.

[Rowan]

Hahahaha!

That's a terrible shame, but funny as all get out.

Now personally, I like poodles. The Standard sized ones anyway. Not those yipping toy things.

[Anamnesis]

A very wise person, one who was very close to me, once told me that, quoted, "If you can find a way to fool those around you, then there is no reason, sans the hands of God himself, you should not do everything in your power to show others the truth...Scams are truth...only in moderation."

[Chibi MitchellTF]

I disagree with the last part wholeheartedly, and that is just cruel...

[Mitera Nikkou]

$1600? I mean, really, paying that much for a pet... What a waste. I'm sure that pets are wonderful and some of those people are nice people and all that, but come on... That's money that could be spent on better things. Which tips my scales enough to where I don't really disapprove of the scam, other than it being slightly indiscriminate. Silly people need reality slaps once in a while.

[Rowan]

Imagine if they kept the sheep as pets!


*edited to fix a typo*

[May-chan]

sheep are cuter than poodles...

[ZeroForever]

lol sad yet funny... even if you have never seen a animal in rl, i would assume you would know the difference from books and such... but alas stupidy wins agian.

[Rowan]

Maybe they gave them all stereotypical poodle haircuts.

[Moonlit Naiad]

If you're willing to pay more than $20 dollars for a pet when you can get a kitten or puppy for free in many places, then you deserve the economic slap upside the head if you fall for something like this.

[Rowan]

Some people will pay through the nose for purebread animals with all the genetic disorders and neurosis that come with them.

[Raleigh]

Naiad, that may be the case in America, but its a different set of conditions in Japan to my understanding. Most people don't have pets, or can't for that matter since a lot of them live in rent controlled housing. Its why there is such a large virtual pet industry in Japan. Most people would only get a 'poodle' as a status symbol, be fairly well off financially to afford to have any pet, and most likely have never even seen a real dog in the first place. Its why I think it was a terrible event, taking advantage of those who don't know any better is sort of like tricking the retarded kid to say something offensive to someone, just wrong.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Actually, I expect a lot more out of them than that. Their living conditions and therefor the lack of domesticated pets is no excuse for a modern country like Japan, whose education is much better than America's and is fraught with about as much access to information as many developed countries has, to have people that ignorant about the differences between sheep and dogs.

For one thing, it does mention that at least some of them knew that dogs barked and had claws rather than hooves. That alone, just knowing what dogs look like, should have clued many of them in. Most were probably less concerned about the details and more concerned about the fact of ownership; well, who's the dummy now, indeed...

Of course, in regard to the Tanuki, which has now spread to more than just the East, an American may be fooled into believing that it's a raccoon... However, when it comes down to comparison, there're less superficial differences between a tanuki and raccoon than a dog (even if a poodle) and a sheep. The differences between poodles and sheep are striking. The thing is, anyone with any real interest in a pet should have seen a picture of one at least once. Pictures are easy to come by, even easier than it is to practice just any trend. What is anyone supposed to think of a person who gets a pet just because it's "in fashion", without ever seeing one?

I think they had it coming and should consider being less... frivolous, to put it nicely. One thing begets another, and so have they reaped where their priorities had lain. Hey, if they don't think it's important to actually care about the pet that they want, then why should someone care if they give them something else? My cats, for instance, are my friends and not possessions (despite using "my"; I can't think of how else to put it) or some meaningless, silly badge in a social setting. I love them and labor for them; I do not use them or polish them simply for displayal or to make me feel better about myself among other people.

There are plenty of endangered species out there yet I can find pictures of them; me, who's dirt poor. It doesn't really matter how many there are in the world so much as the possibility of seeing them, and the Internet is almost certainly a surefire way of getting a look at something. If not then there are plenty of other avenues to explore, such as libraries. There's no excuse for them never seeing a poodle, or even a sheep, unless through ignorant negligence... Or actually being blind. Someone who can fork out that much money should certainly have the resources to find a bloody picture... Or even see an animal in the flesh!

I can't say that I know how many of them were well-meaning, but I suspect that most of them weren't. If that's the case, then the vast majority had it coming. At least in my eyes.

[Raleigh]

I suppose they might have had it coming, but it was still underhanded to do I would think. Who would ever confuse a tanuki with a racoon? There obviously two very different creatures, despite what most writers seem to think. ((Pet peeve when people get the two confused.))