How much are those doggies in the window? The ones pressing their noses oh-so adorably against the glass. The ones cavorting in beds of shredded paper in a bid to get Queen Street passers-by to make snap impulse purchases.

Never mind what it says on the price tag. The real cost is always bound to be substantially higher than the ticket price.

It’s a curious irony that the use of puppies in pet shop window displays actually began to fall out of favour at much the same time Rosemary Clooney’s novelty song was climbing the global charts in the early 1950s.

It came to be seen as a cruel practice in the short term — and a sure-fire method of causing long-term behavioural problems in the dogs being raised and kennelled in the cramped conditions of a retail store.

In the Caribbean, Europe and most of North America, many pet shops no longer sell puppies or kittens, let alone use them as cuddly window dressing to lure potential customers in off the street.

And in some countries, even displaying guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and other small mammals in store windows is now prohibited by law.

In addition to the discomfort and unsanitary conditions experienced by puppies sold through pet shops, and the increased likelihood of permanent behavioural problems, the supply chains for such stores have become increasingly suspect.

Reputable breeders now often refuse to deal with pet shops. So many of the animals sold in stores came from unregulated backyard breeders or mass breeding mills.

Costs are cheap, the supplies virtually unlimited. But so are the risks.

For puppy farms rarely screen for genetic and behavioural problems, making it increasingly likely that pets purchased from retail stores will develop unexpected problems later in life — and cause unanticipated financial and emotional costs for their owners.

Consequently, most dogs and cats in many jurisdictions are now purchased from recognised breeders, animal shelters and veterinary practices that rehome pets.

In Bermuda, the issue of using puppies for living window displays has come to the fore only relatively recently.

Queen Street retailer Pic-A-Pet is drawing increasing fire from animal welfare activists and laypeople alike because of concerns about the health and safety of the animals.

Pic-A-Pet has repeatedly defended its position, arguing the dogs in question do not come from puppy mills, are well cared for and regularly exercised and that the store is fully in compliance with government regulations.

There’s no reason to doubt the owner’s sincerity.

Nor can you blame a businessman for wanting to stay in business, particularly in these economically dire times.

But the fact puppies are being used as the ultimate sales gimmick in storefront displays — even in the heat and humidity of high summer — suggests Bermuda’s animal welfare regulations are long overdue for a revamp.

While certainly not illegal the present situation is certainly troubling and more than a little shameful.

It’s characteristic of Bermuda’s deeply lackadaisical official approach towards animal welfare that the law governing the care and protection of dogs sold through retail operations has not actually been revisited since 1975.

Dogs and cats are sentient creatures. Recent research suggests they have the ability to experience positive emotions such as love and attachment. Scientists now say they feel and perceive on a level comparable to that of a young child.

They require considerable investments in terms of time, dedication and care, investments the vast majority of Bermuda pet owners are willing to make. In return, dogs and cats give pleasure, encourage responsibility and, for many Bermuda residents, provide the companionship, security and love that would otherwise be altogether absent from their lives.

They are not disposable consumer products; they should not be knowingly used as enticements for impulse-buying (an Australian guide for pet shops stated this baldly when discussing the use of puppies in storefront displays: “The scenario is simple: Someone will walk by, fall in love with an animal and buy it. These sorts of impulse sales can add dramatically to your profits ... if your shop is accessible and your sales and service ability is convincing, it will not be long before you convert walk-in traffic into buying customers.”)

How many of the dogs bought as a consequence of such “walk-in traffic” end up at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ shelter once the initial attraction to a small, furry bundle gives way to a full recognition of the obligations of ownership? How many of these dogs simply end up being abandoned?

And while the dogs now being sold by the store may indeed come from “responsible breeders”, with fewer and fewer legitimate sources dealing with pet shops, the supply of healthy animals available to retailers is being steadily and inexorably reduced.

It’s likely only a matter of time before puppies bred from chronically ill or genetically flawed dogs, puppies that will grow up to have severe behavioural and health problems, are introduced to the local pet population. The repercussions would be felt for generations once they started producing litters of their own in Bermuda.

So how much are those doggies in the window? However you do the sums, the cost is simply too much.