A dog-loving Canadian tourist’s perspective

My dog Walter

Full disclosure: I adore dogs. I take notice of and joyfully speak to every dog that crosses my path.

So, last week, as I walked by a pet store in the capital city of Hamilton, Bermuda, I gazed through a sun-baked window into the saddest brown eyes I’ve ever seen.

They belonged to a lonely little puppy sitting in a Plexiglas cage filled with shredded white paper.

I had to go in and meet him. The sales assistant said he had been there for four weeks. All that time and still no one had purchased that beautiful boy.

I was told by the sales assistant that he was six months old and had come from England. He is a sweet dog. A Maltipoo, apparently, with all of the appropriate papers of being well-bred.

The sales assistant told me it is illegal to breed dogs in Bermuda, which is why the store brings the dogs from England. Is this even remotely possible? To prohibit people from breeding their dogs on their island? In their homes? I am a tourist. I do not know. But it seems strange to me.

I went into the small antechamber with two chairs and sat while she brought him to me. I held him close. He was quite thin for his size. I had a little chat with him, snuggled him, told him I loved him, and was putting positive thoughts into the universe for someone to come buy him and give him a good home soon.

He had two little containers for water, but the water had white strips of paper in it and was cloudy.

I left the store but returned a second time in the late afternoon. The sales assistant was feeding him a bowl of kibble.

I asked more questions: how often he was walked?

She said that they walked him in the morning.

What about the afternoon and the evening? He’s just a young guy and he certainly needs to be able to exercise.

She said he didn’t get any other walks.

Where does he do his business?

She said in his bed.

I asked where he slept at night and she told me that the Bermudian laws did not allow dogs in pet stores to be taken home.

I found this distressing. The poor little guy has to spend weekends at the store, in the window, even when the place isn’t open and there’s no one to attend to him. What happens to him on Sundays? Are the staff paid to check on him? Feed him? Walk him? Change the shredded paper he sleeps on?

The doggy in the window doesn’t even have a toy in his cage or a little fluffy buddy to snuggle up with.

I asked how much he cost and she said $6,495.

That’s a lot of money. Almost $9,000 Canadian. That’s triple what we would pay in Canada for a pure-bred Maltipoo.

And given a three-bedroom apartment in Bermuda is approximately six grand a month, and groceries are very expensive, $6,495 is a huge financial sacrifice for most people.

It’s almost prohibitive and the puppy suffers because of the cost. Is it an overinflated price perchance? Or is this what it costs to import dogs to Bermuda? The cost of doing business with a view — as in any business — to make a profit?

I used to have ten beautiful dogs. I have had to wean myself down to three at this point in my life. My husband is not of the opinion that we should take another dog back, putting it mildly. But I truly want to buy this puppy. He’s a jolly little fellow desperate for a loving home.

I could let this go but for a few things that have come to my attention — after all, if I hadn’t come to Bermuda, if I hadn’t walked down this particular street, I would never have known of this dog’s existence.

In my quest to find someone to buy this pup, having spoken to a number of people I know around the island, I am advised there are concerns for the puppies in this store. Although no one elaborated, one person told me neither she nor the people she knows will walk by the pet store any more because it is heartbreaking to see the dogs kept in the glass cases in the window.

So, how is this possible? Why are these pups not allowed to go home with a kind and carefully vetted caregiver who would give them some foster care and love until they are purchased?

Why are they left alone in the store? What are the regulations governing animal welfare on the island? Do any of these conditions contravene those regulations?

While some may argue that spending life as a doggy in a Plexiglas bed in a sunny window with air conditioning isn’t a bad life, I would merely query the obvious: what about the need for regular more-than-once-daily exercise to ensure proper bone and muscle growth, or the ability of the dog to empty his bladder and his bowels somewhere other than his bed, or that he probably tries so hard not to make a mess until he’s almost bursting, or to have basic socialisation, or to have more than the tiny bit of food he gets, or that maybe he doesn’t eat or drink much so there’s little mess, or that he’s so very lonely, or so many other difficulties a pup might encounter when trapped and left to his own devices?

For instance, there was a storm last night which called for 25 inches of rain and 60mph winds. My dogs are terrified of wind and rainstorms. What happens to the puppy in the window? He’ll be so scared. He’ll shiver. And shake. And cry. And there’s no one to hear him, pick him up, and snuggle him until he settles.

The sales assistant was pragmatic. She admitted she didn’t get attached to the pups because it would be difficult when they were sold. I get that. In spite of that, I noted she wasn’t unkind to the dog. In fact, I saw her playing and laughing with the dog when I was leaving — and the dog was obviously attached to her.

And she was very loyal to the store. She said when she died she hoped they would put her in a glass case in the window of the pet store — it’s that good.

Regrettably, the bottom line is that I don’t think I will be able to take this dog back to Canada with me.

I would love to. He is a bright and beautiful light, and he will bring joy to whomever buys him.

So if you live in Bermuda, whatever you may think of this store, please walk by. Always walk by. Please give this puppy, or other puppies like him, a chance. I don’t know the owners. I don’t even know their names. But I am sure they would be lovely and open to conversations.

And if you have any qualms about how the store treats its animals or the cost, then please contact them, voice your concerns and seek better solutions together.

Talking points could be: arranging for volunteers, maybe even students who could do it as part of a school project all year round, to take the dogs for walks in the morning, afternoon and early evening.

Maybe it could involve more volunteers or even pay people a set wage to take the dogs home at night. As I say carefully vetted people who have training in veterinary science or letters of reference with respect to their character, love of dogs and appropriate housing for a dog.

There are so many options to care for these little guys without having them be doggies in the window in a rainstorm.

It’s all about communication.

The bottom line is that this puppy deserves a loving home and a soft landing. As do all pets.

Be the change.

• Marci Lin Melvin is a columnist, novelist and retired Family Court Judge from Nova Scotia, Canada

Marci Lin Melvin is a columnist, novelist and retired Family Court Judge from Nova Scotia, Canada