Renting out pets - morally reprehensible

Yeah, this actually was featured on DailyCandy today. What utter morons.

apollonia666 wrote: Okay, I'll bite. What's so offensive about this?

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a pretty *stupid* concept and I wouldn't rent a dog myself, but I don't understand why it's inherently offensive or bad.

I agree. According to the site they are "rescued or rehomed". As long as there not sitting in kennels who cares. Even if they were in kennels if there was an oppourtunity to own a dog that someone really liked even better.

It's like Zip car for dog lovers.

This was unclear to me from the website... could anyone tell where the dogs were living when not on a "visit"? Are they housed in kennels or at some other permanent residence?

If they are residing permanently in a home somewhere, and then just go for visits elsewhere, I guess that's not too bad (although it seems a little disruptive.)

But if they're sitting in cages waiting for someone to pay for them for an hours rental, that's really upsetting.

It's like Zip car for dog lovers.

Well, that's the problem. Dogs are not cars. They are alive and very attuned to humans. As SJE pointed out, dogs crave routine and stability; they also crave a lasting bond with their owners. A dog belongs in a permanent home where it can bond with one person/family over its lifetime.

If this Flexpetz abominination had any concern for homeless dogs beyond how to make a buck off them, they would establish a proper shelter/rescue service with the goal of finding permanent homes for the dogs in their care. That they are consigning a bunch of dogs to lifetimes as "rent-a-pets" is cruel and disgusting.

I didn't get the impression that this is some Paris-Hilton-renting-an- accoutrement-pet site at all.

I did. Did you read the description of the two Afghan hounds? It was all about how cool you'll look on a walk with them, and how many people will stop you to ask about the dogs.

What if there was the opportunity to buy the dog if you established a rapport with him/her? Not that I see anything on the site that says that's possible and allowable, but, as concept, would that be so reprehensible. If that were a feature, I might actually be tempted to check it out.

John Ife

Liveto travel.. You are so lucky.. Pekes are just the most lovable affectionate dogs and I bet your dogs would do great if you "rented" them out a little to give them a little extra company and have some deserving animal lover enjoy them as well. But their quality of life is because of the home that YOU provide for them.

Unless I am mis-reading that site I don't think those rent-a-dogs are blessed with the forever home every animal deserves. If the concept were that these people who borrowed the dogs were doing so with the goal of adopting the dog I would see this differently.

I got the Daily Candy email this morning, and as a dog owner and animal lover I think the practice of renting dogs - like an accessory - is really horrible. How can their environment be monitored? And the fact that the website claims that they all have regular medical check-ups every 3 months makes me think that these poor pooches lead a pretty tough life to need that much medical care.

If you can't get a dog for whatever reason (work, travel, allergies, etc), then find a friend who has one. On several occasions my pup has made friends with "dogless" people who visit dog runs or the park. That is a great way to meet dogs and people in the city, and be able to spend time with a pet, no strings, leashes or $50 a month contracts attached.

I have to agree. I am not a dog owner nor am I crazy about most breeds of dogs..but it's an animal that needs stabiility. What would concern me most would be what goes on for the periods when these dogs are not being rented..

True, being a rent-a-dog probably isn't as bad as some fates dogs suffer. But, look at this way. If you're going to rent out dogs for money, you're going to have to find dogs that are very healthy, very friendly, very easy to train, good with people of all ages, adaptable to all kinds of circumstances, etc. In other words, you have to find dogs who are prime candidates for adoption! You're not saving the kind of dog that would otherwise almost surely be put down. You're "saving" exactly the kind of dog that has the best shot at finding a permanent home. If you're going to go out and round up a bunch of dogs like that, it's criminal not to try to find them real homes.

And, yeah, ilovecarbs, I love how the Flexpetz site conveniently doesn't mention where these dogs live or how they're cared for when they're not rented out. I also saw no indication that potential renters are screened to make sure they'll take decent care of the dogs.

Melissa Bain, a veterinarian with the Companion Animal Behavior Program at the University of California at Davis, said she had concerns but no hard-and-fast objections to a service like FlexPetz.

"It depends on the people and it depends on the animal," Bain said. "Some dogs may be fine and some may become stressed because they are moving from home to home."