This morning, I was watching the Early show on CBS, and they showcased a new business that allows people to rent a dog for hours up to seven days. The business is called FlexPetz, and get this: it costs members over $1,400 a year to be able to rent a dog whenever they want. The idea behind the program is to allow people who "love" dogs or desire their companionship but don't have the time to care for them full-time to at least get a chance to for a little while. The proprietor stresses that they get these animals from shelters, train them to socialize with anyone and everyone, and live in cageless daycare when they aren't in homes.
Unfreakinbelievable. How can this possibly be good for the dogs??? The nature of the human-animal bond will never be established here, and the dogs will bounce from one routine to the next, causing much stress on them. And what about health issues? If different people see this dog each week, who will be able to notice when something isn't right and the pup needs to see a vet?
Most of this week the media has spent saying how outrageous it was that a rescue agency would not allow a pet to live a happy life with a home that had children under 14. But this just irritates me. I know most would say it is better than them being euthanized in a shelter, but it should be about quality of life, not quantity.
There are so many other options to renting a dog. Become a foster parent for a couple weeks, volunteer your free hours at an animal shelter or rescue, or help out at community pet events. There are lots of ways to interact with pets without requiring a lifetime of responsibility and increasing stress of the pets.
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