PETA Rescue Mission for Vonage The Dog

From a Motley Foolish piece entitled, Vonage On Hold: “for every satisfied Samuel Adams sipper you have the Garden Botanika shopper and Vonage subscriber that gets burned. That’s a sticky situation because now you have upset your shareholders as well as your most faithful customers that believed in the cause enough to buy into the offering.”

Somebody call PETA, quick.

It’s true that most dogs can be “saved” even if the recovery is a long, drawn out process. Even seemingly impossible bad behavior can be reversed, with the right enviroment and training. The only limiting factor in these cases is the owner’s time and attention.

It’s equally true that some dogs cannot be saved, no matter what. One of the hardest things a pet owner can ever face is the prospect of making that determination.

I feel this way about Vonage. For those who didn’t know him back in the days at Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Vonage was such a great puppy. He was cheerful and playful and so full of enthusiasm for the future. Sure, there were a couple questions on his pedigree, and any potential owner with half a brain knew that Vonage would not be participating in the AKC International Dog Show.

While not quite championship breed, Vonage was nevertheless an ideal domestic companion. After all, in a dog-eat-dog world, only a few make it into that coveted circle; for the most part, we just need a dog that will sit, rollover, and stay. Frisbee catching is a super bonus for an everyday dog, and Vonage loved the Frisbee. So maybe we knew he wouldn’t ultimately take Best in Show; but we didn’t need him to do so.

So we, the Happy Customers and Companions of Vonage, invested in Vonage for the reasonable returns expected on a better than average dog. We were not a bunch of wild-eyed retail get-rich-quick idiots. We knew the pup’s limitations, but we also know Vonage’s significant CAPABILITIES and ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

Today, our little buddy Vonage has been very wrongly impounded. He is not a threat to the neighbors, he does not bark excessively. He does “fetch” if you use the right commands, Mr. Cramer. If you give a dog the verbal “sit” command while giving him the “attack” hand signal; the dog is not going to behave reliably.

Yet, this is precisely what seems to be happening. When the dog “misbehaves” because of these mixed signals, we kick the dog. Today, our bright and promising pup Vonage is being held in Doggie Abu Graib. At some point, PETA has got to step in and help put an end to this; even if it means full page adds in the New York Times.

I fully agree with Rick Munarriz when he says, that, “Until Vonage officially cuts its price to $19.99 and presents a clear path to profitability at a lower price point, there may be some more unwelcome static in this connection.” Vonage CAN and SHOULD do this. And when it does, it’s time to lay off the kicking and start tossing plenty of Pup-A-Roni his way.

So get out there and show ‘em, Vonage. Good dog.