Did you know that dog leasing is a “thing?” Like leasing a car, consumers make monthly payments to a company for a certain time before they own their dog outright. But because dogs aren’t cars, you can imagine how fraught the process can be.

Case in point: If a pooch parent misses a payment, their dog can be repossessed by the leasing company. Faced with this type of emotional blackmail, some states have said enough is enough.

Massachusetts’ attorney general recently settled the state’s third case in a year against companies engaged in illegal dog leasing. As a result, these companies have been ordered to cancel debts, pay fines to the state and transfer ownership of dogs to hundreds of families caught in the middle.

So, take care to guard your finances — and your heart — against these unscrupulous practices.