Spoiler alert: I have not been a pet owner since 1989. My wife and I bought one pet for $250 — an adorable St. Bernard puppy whom we named “Vicky — in 1964. In those intervening 54 years, the cost of some purebreds and designer pups has become breathtaking, with these animals now going for thousands of dollars.

The Singing Rage, Miss Patti Page, who asked the musical question in her big 1953 hit, “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” would have been just as flabbergasted as I am with today’s answer.

Just for the heck of it, I checked for St. Bernards for sale online and found that pups were fetching an average of $2,450 each.

This is why pet shops and others are offering something called “pet leasing.” According to state Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, customers are tricked into thinking that they are taking a loan for a pet. Instead, she said, they are signing on to a lease agreement. Madden says pet leasing usually targets people who can’t afford to buy a pet outright.

The Federal Trade Commission agrees and issued this warning: “Some financial services companies have partnered with pet sellers to offer leases. Their lease terms vary. In general, pet leases run for a set time, typically one to three years. During the lease period, customers must make set monthly payments, just as they would if leasing a car.

“The payments will total more than the list price of the pet, sometimes much more. When the lease is over, the customer doesn’t own the family pet, not even a whisker. To purchase their pet, customers usually have to pay an additional amount, possibly hundreds of dollars. If they can’t pay, they must surrender it.”

You can imagine how this would go over with a child or even an adult who has fallen in love with the new family member.

Madden insists that fees and usury interest rates are charged but hidden in fine print and difficult to understand legal wording. The bottom line, she said, is that customers wind up paying hundreds, even thousands of dollars more for their pets than intended.

She cited a Nevada family who thought they were financing a puppy for $2,400 but wound up paying nearly $5,800. Others have complained that if they missed a payment, they were told that their animal would be repossessed and all money paid to date would be forfeited.

Because of this, Madden and House colleague Jeanne McNeill, D-Lehigh, have co-authored a bill that bans pet leasing. McNeill said they plan to introduce the legislation soon and get it assigned to a committee for review.

“As an avid dog lover, I find it disturbing that people face losing their beloved pets due to complicated lease agreements which are often not clear and may end up costing thousands of dollars more,” McNeill said.

McNeill said there are better options for obtaining a pet, such as shelters where you pay a one-time adoption fee. This also helps alleviate the surplus pet population and reduces the number of animals which must be euthanized.

California and Nevada have passed laws banning pet leasing. The New York State Legislature is considering a bill to do the same in the Empire State, and Madden and McNeill want Pennsylvania to jump on the bandwagon.

One company that has come under scrutiny is Wags Lending, which has been the subject of nearly three dozen complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

Ever since media reports last year targeted consumer complaints against Wags Lending, headquartered in Reno, Nevada, lawmakers in multiple states have been taking notice to the practice of pet leasing.

On its website, Wags Lending explains this difference between a loan and a lease: “A loan is an agreement where a lender gives money or property to a borrower, and the borrower agrees to repay the money, usually along with interest, at some future time. Typically, the borrower will own the pet they are financing.

“A lease is an arrangement where the renter agrees to rent the pet from the owner of the pet, which would be Wags Lending, for a specified period of time, in exchange for a monthly rental or leasing fee. The lease guarantees the renter the right to possess and use the pet during the course of the lease; however, the right of ownership is still with the owner.”

The FTC has policies in place through the Consumer Leasing Act to protect against abuses. It requires, among other things, that customers receive essential lease information, in writing, clearly and conspicuously, in language they can understand, before they sign the agreement.

It also requires that the deal is explained as a lease, that it is not a loan. The information must include the total amount due at signing and the number, amount and timing of payments and the amount of the buyout at the end of the lease.

I support the Madden-McNeill bill as an important way to protect unsuspecting pet-friendly consumers from unscrupulous leasing schemes.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com