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Okay, so FLEXPETZ comes off as just another bizarre outgrowth of urban living: A timesharing scheme in which those cramped for time and living quarters co-opt pet canines.
The service isn’t cheap. Customers pay a one-time $150 training fee plus a $99.95 annual fee and a $49.95 monthly fee ($599.40 a year). That doesn’t include the dog. It costs between $24.95 and $39.95 a day — plus tax and up to $35 in delivery fees — to rent a pooch.
“Our members are responsible in that they realize full-time ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the dog,” the company’s owner, Marlena Cervantes, tells the Associated Press. “It prevents dogs from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who realize it wasn’t a good fit.”
Timeshares — they’re not just for Hamptons flophouses anymore! And there’s a calculated reason for calling this a timeshare: It conveys an upscale approach. What sounds better: A rent-a-dog shop, or a canine timesharing program? That’s why FLEXPETZ’s owner bristled at the description of a rental service.
So something just under a grand annually for a fraction of a dog. I’d imagine you could probably find someone in your neighborhood who’d lend you their pooch for frequent walkies (with accompanying poop-scooping, of course).
On the other hand, if a sense of ownership — however flimsy — means that much to you, I suppose there are worse ways to go. And if a single dog is spared an existence being cooped up in a crackerbox apartment all day, more neglected than anything, then I suppose I could abide this.
“Man’s best… um,…”…
What do you call a rented friend that you only see for short periods of time? (I mean, one that you see outside of a cheap motel room, of course.)
Canine escort service?
(H/T to Dustbury.)…
Trackback by View From The Porch — 08/01/2007 @ 01:57:08 PM
It’s my opinion that this is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard about.
A dog is not “property”. In order to enjoy a dog and the companionship of a dog, you have to bond. Bonding is done by having your dog and doing things with your dog on and everyday basis - training, feeding, NILIF.
This type of “ownership” is setting the dog and owner up for failure. There’s no substitute for bonding with a dog and establishing your leadership other than living with the dog on a daily basis. We already see lots of problem dogs because they live with people who are clueless about dogs and dog behavior. People who just want a dog but don’t actually care enough to find out what dogs need.
Dogs need structure, schedule, and leadership. Not being shuffled around from house to house, owner to owner. When people don’t understand that, they don’t deserve a dog.
And quite frankly, it gets on my nerves when people say things like “it’s better than if the dog’s just cooped up in a crackerbox apartment all day.” Most dogs do fine in that environment IF they are properly exercised and are trained to sleep / rest while their owners are at work. Having a house or a big yard makes nobody a “good” owner.
Comment by Abby K9 — 08/01/2007 @ 03:10:19 PM
Maybe you should frame FLEXPETZ’s distributed-ownership model as the “it takes a village” approach to dog ownership?
I’m not convinced the “shuffling” you talk about is as chaotic as you make it out. Rotation among a regular group of owners is a form of stability; I imagine some (maybe not all) dogs would find structure in that.
I’m not wildly for or against it. But I still think it’s a better option than the same target audience — time-crunched and space-crunched urbanites — getting their own dogs and then neglecting them full-time.
Comment by CT — 08/01/2007 @ 08:40:25 PM
It’s absolutely as chaotic as I “make it out”.
I have been working with rescue dogs for years. I’ve transported, fostered, and adopted. Now, breeds vary. I work mainly with German Shepherds and I can tell you that GSDs and most working / herding breeds would do horrible as “time share” dogs. They need 100% clear leadership, a job to do, and a schedule to be on.
The average dog household that owns a GSD or any other herding breed is already not suited to owning such a breed and most average dog owners don’t understand simple concepts such as providing proper leadership to their dogs. That’s why so many of them end up having issues - from destroying the house to chasing the cat to biting the neighbors’ children. That’s how MOST of them end up in shelters, too.
I believe that if people don’t have the time to care for a dog properly (that is, FULL TIME), then they shouldn’t have a dog until their lives settle down in a way that allows them to have and care for a dog.
I do, however, disagree that being “space crunched” is something that prevents dog ownership. I know many Shepherd owners who live in (small) apartments. It’s about making time to get the dog the exercise it needs, not about how much space you have available.
Some people might think having a fenced yard is a must for a big or active dog - but it makes no difference. Most people with fenced yards just let the dogs outside and expect them to amuse / exercise themselves. People with small apartments actually take the time to properly exercise their dogs - by giving them walks (2 times 45 minutes each day, at a MINIMUM!) and training.
Comment by Abby K9 — 08/03/2007 @ 01:56:01 AM