Give that dog a HUG

Writing about HUGs is usually Pegs' domain, but lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. There's a guy who sometimes hangs out underneath the porticoes on Rue de Rivoli, which I walk down on my way to work. He usually sits on a blanket with a little dog, and his technique is asking for change to help feed his canine friend. Today seemed like any other day: the guy was there, the blanket was there, but the dog wasn't there. At least, the usual dog wasn't there. Instead, our pet-friendly HUG had another little dog wearing an ornate and seemingly expensive dog collar. Then, when Pegs and I met for lunch just now, we passed another HUG panhandling with a little dog, the kind with hair like shag carpeting that little old ladies keep around to warm their feet.

Is there some sort of fashion trend going around among the homeless that I didn't hear about? Are Pomeranians effective as guard dogs all of a sudden? I can't prove that these guys stole their dogs out of the Jardins des Tuileries from some poor granny to help them beg more change from animal lovers, but it's almost certain that they did. Just like it's almost certain that I'm the most powerful person on the planet; some people might say George Bush or Oprah Winfrey, but have either of them ever dead-lifted a mini-van with one arm? I didn't think so.