The coworker’s become enamored with the adoption of a pure-bred Husky or Malamute, and just invested an hour into researching available puppies in this area. They range in price from $500 to $1000.

But I also spent that hour trying to convince him that a $500 pure-bred puppy is likely to be adopted, whereas the many animals at the human society and shelters, not to mention the hordes of them posted on Craigslist and elsewhere as “FREE TO GOOD HOME,” are probably on more shaky ground, and that a mixed breed dog is no less capable of providing whatever it is he’s looking for in a pet.

He says, “But you can’t show them,” because the aesthetics of a creature and its marketability are most important.

I also chimed in with anecdotes about my own experience with a large breed of dog in a small apartment, and the pitfalls of working for much of the day while a large and energetic dog becomes bored at home. He remained obstinate about his desire for a high-cost, very large dog, just as I would remain obstinate about how bad an idea it is.

Different minds, differing opinions.

I’m over my own concerns about providing enough behavioral discipline to raise healthy, well-adjusted pets. Instead, I find myself researching immunotherapy and the cost of that versus being forced to give up all physical activity due to severely constrained breathing passages and remaining as distant as possible. Or, the cost of providing for their first year of life and giving them up to a different home versus my own needs. Cost is an easy problem.

It begins to feel like I’m the father who buys possessions for his children and ships them off to boarding school instead of providing them with simple affection.