As will surprise nobody who read either He Ain’t Heavy (the most recent Lantham mystery) or Free Will (soon to be retitled: The Vindicators–see tomorrow’s blog post for details), I’m kind of a dog person. And, for the last several weeks, with all the weird shit going on in my world, I’ve started searching high and low for a dog.
(I like cats, too, but I tend to think of them as tribbles with pointy parts, and since the appeal of tribbles is their lack of sharp edges, I consider cats to be a sort of design-flaw-ridden beta-test tribble, and keep hoping for the bug fix release so I can upgrade. But I digress.)
It’s been an epic journey (including a brief attempt to civilize the world’s cutest emotionally-damaged terrier) on the way to trying to find a good beach dog.
When it comes to beach dogs, I have a few basic requirements:
It must like to play fetch or frisbee
It must like the water
It must not freeze in these cruel northern lands
It must heel and respond to commands well
Taken in combination with the fact that my dwellings aren’t exactly palatial, and contain a recording studio, that limits the breed selector down to German Shepherds and the gun dog group (labs, retrievers of various sorts, and spaniels of various sorts). So, for the summer, Kitty and I have been on an epic hunt for a good lab.
What we’ve gotten instead is a fascinating lesson in pet economics.
Dog Hunting in San Francisco
I grew up and lived most of my adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sort of place where 60,000 people constitutes a “small town” and where I could look out the window of my friend’s hillside house and see more people in one glance than populate entire states elsewhere in the country. We had seven area codes within an hour’s drive of my house.
In that kind of environment, finding a good dog is only slightly less difficult than finding good Chinese food. You call up the shelters, tell them what you want, and they tell you when it’s available. If you need something special, you call up a breeder, find out when the next whelping and weaning cycle is, and schedule a 2hr drive out to the country for the availability date. There are always good dogs to be had, because there are plenty of irresponsible people who don’t know the difference between “spade” and “spayed.”
In an urban setting, supply exceeds demand by many orders of magnitude.
The trouble is, I don’t live in the city anymore. And as I’m learning…
There Are No Dogs In Oregon
Well, that’s not quite true. There are dogs in Oregon, but they are mostly terriers (which aren’t good beach dogs), pit bulls (which aren’t allowed in our neighborhood), and chihuahuas (which aren’t really dogs).
But Oregon is really, really different from San Francisco. First, it has about half the people in the whole state that reside in the Bay Area. Fewer people means fewer dogs.
Second, people in Oregon are apparently very responsible with their animals. The levels of sterilization and the community support for and awareness of it are very, very high. I’ve been by turns really impressed by it, and slightly frightened that dogs might die off from over-responsibility.
Third, the state is rural. Even the “big” cities (Portland, Salem, Eugene) are not what I’m used to thinking of as “cities.” They have more in common with a city like Redding or Fresno than a city like Oakland or San Francisco: Lots of open space, very few high rises, moderate population density. That means that the market for gun dogs tends to run to…well, people with guns.
Particularly, people who use them as work dogs for hunting. And, secondarily, families with kids.
So the breeds I’m looking for aren’t so much pets here as they are…professionals. And the market reflects that difference. In the Bay Area, you can find lab breeders who aren’t AKC compliant, who just breed companion animals. Here, you can’t. You can find ultra-high-end, well-trained, premium hunting dogs. The ones from these breeders that aren’t suitable for that work (due to a defect of temperament, for example), still make good family dogs and go for a discount, but are still expensive. And most families never let go of their family dogs if they can at all help it.
Different Worlds
The upshot of this is that, in the Bay Area, where everything is expensive, you can get a very good family pet for $400 or so on about two hours notice, if you’re so inclined. In Oregon, you might have to choose between spending several months searching and paying $3000 for a high-end work animal. Such are the strange economics created when supply, demand, and culture interact in such complex ways.
Kinda cool, huh? Or it would be if it didn’t mean I’m still pooch-less.
Or, to put it another way:
It’s hard to get an advantage and do good at the same time by being a responsible human being, if the people around you aren’t doing their part by being irresponsible in the first place.
So if you happen to be swinging through Oregon with a lab, shepherd, shep/lab, spaniel, pointer, etc. and want it to have a fantastic life on the beach with a pair of nutty artists–and also see it show up in future books–do drop me a line 😉
After a childhood in academia, J. Daniel Sawyer declared his independence by dropping out of high school and setting off on a series of adventures in the bowels of the film industry, the venture capital culture of silicon valley, surfing safaris, bohemians, burners, historians, theologians, adventurers, climbers, drug dealers, gangbangers, and inventors before his past finally caught up to him.
Trapped in a world bookended by one wall falling in Berlin and other walls going up around suburbia and along national borders throughout the world, he rediscovered his deep love of history and, with it, and obsession with predicting the future as it grew aggressively out of the past.
To date, this obsession has yielded over thirty books and innumerable short stories, the occasional short film, nearly a dozen podcasts stretching over a decade and a half, and a career creating novels and audiobooks exploring the world through the lens of his own peculiar madness, in the depths of his own private forest in a rural exile, where he uses the quiet to write, walk on the beach, and manage a production company that brings innovative stories to the ears of audiences across the world.
For news and free stories, sign up for his occasional newsletter. Or find his contact info, podcasts, and more on his home page at http://www.jdsawyer.net
{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"http:\/\/jdsawyer.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"http:\/\/jdsawyer.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":500,"top_media_type":"none","featured_image_url":false,"featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Tip","payment_request_label":"","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Tip Jar","form_subtitle":"Want me to keep writing?","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for being a supporter!","payment_confirmation_title":"","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":"","terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Pingback: SuperDogonomics | J. Daniel Sawyer
Pingback: HyperDognomics | J. Daniel Sawyer