From the state that popularised purse puppies, drive-thru dog
washes and gourmet dog food delivery comes the latest in canine
convenience - a company that contracts out dogs by the day to
urbanites without the time or space to care for a pet
full-time.
Marlena Cervantes, founder of FlexPetz, bristles when people refer
to her five-month-old business as a rent-a-pet service. She prefers
the term "shared pet ownership," explaining the concept is more
akin to a holiday time share or a gym membership than a trip to the
video store.
"Our members are responsible in that they realise full-time
ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the
dog," said Cervantes, 32, a behavioural therapist who got the idea
while working with pets and autistic children. "It prevents dogs
from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who
realise it wasn't a good fit."
FlexPetz is currently available in Los Angeles and San Diego, where
Cervantes lives. She plans to open new locations in San Francisco
in August, New York in September and London by the end of the
year.
She's also hoping to franchise the FlexPetz concept so the dogs
will have housing options other than kennels when not in use. For
San Francisco, she has hired a caretaker who plans to keep the dogs
at her house when they are not on loan to members.
For an annual fee of $US99.95 ($A118.03), a monthly payment of
$US49.95 ($A59) and a per-visit charge of $US39.95 ($A47)a day
(discounted to $US24.95, or $A29, Sunday through Thursday), animal
lovers who enroll in FlexPetz get to spend time with a four-legged
companion from Cervantes' 10-dog crew of Afghan hounds, Labrador
retrievers and Boston terriers.
The membership costs cover the expense of training the dogs,
boarding them at a cage-free kennel, home or office delivery,
collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills and
liability insurance. It also pays for the 'care kits' - comprised
of leashes, bowls, beds and pre-measured food - that accompany each
dog on its visits.
Charter member Shari Gonzalez said she was thinking about getting a
dog when a dog trainer she consulted suggested part-time ownership.
At first, she had reservations.
Gonzalez, 22, never doubted there was room for a dog in her heart.
The issue was her life, which included a small, two-bedroom
apartment and a full-time schedule of college classes in San
Diego.
"I was thinking, 'How is a dog going to bounce from house to house
and be OK with that,'" she said. "I didn't want a dog that would
come into my place and pee."
Her misgivings were allayed after she spoke with Cervantes, who
explained that only dogs with social temperaments were picked for
the program and that each would ideally be shared by no more than
two or three owner-members.
Since signing up, Gonzalez said a black Lab named Jackpot has
become a treasured part of her social network. They spend an
average of one day each weekend together. He sleeps at her
apartment and she takes him on hikes, to the beach and to parks
frequented by other dog owners. The money spent on her membership
has been well worth it, she said.
"I never even thought that was a possibility," Gonzalez said. "I
thought you either owned a dog or you didn't."
Although she has never seen the doggy day care centre where Jackpot
spends his off-days, Gonzalez recently met another of his part-time
companions, graphic designer Jenny Goddard, 33. Goddard, who is
married with a 6-year-old son, said having a dog a weekend or two a
month has been perfect for her busy family and encourages them to
spend more time together outdoors.
"It's funny," she said. "He is so friendly and immediately playful
with us, people are surprised he is a rental dog."
The idea of commitment-free pets is not entirely new, although no
one in the United States has tried it with as much drive as
Cervantes. Most private animal shelters, for instance, encourage
volunteers to become temporary foster families to animals awaiting
adoption.
For 15 years, the Aspen Animal Shelter in Colorado has gone a step
further with a Rent-a-Pet program that allows residents and
tourists in the resort town to take dogs out for a few hours or
overnight for free.
"It benefits the homeless animals, keeps them socialised and
exercised and in the end they end up getting adopted,'' said owner
Seth Sachson. "The people benefit, too. When a tourist walks around
town with a dog, they feel like a local."
Melissa Bain, a veterinarian with the Companion Animal Behaviour
Program at the University of California at Davis, said she had
concerns but no hard-and-fast objections to a service like
FlexPetz.
On the positive side, it might give people an easy way to test the
ownership waters and keep a few dogs from being euthanised, Bain
said. Possible downsides would be irresponsible members who treat
the dogs like a lifestyle accessory instead of a living
thing.
"It depends on the people and it depends on the animal. Some dogs
may be fine and some may become stressed because they are moving
from home to home," Bain said. "Perhaps they had a good experience
with a good part-time owner and then they get shipped back. What
kind of message does that send to kids? That dogs are
disposable."
Cervantes said the hour-long sessions Flexpetz members are required
to spend with their dog and a trainer before their first outing
ensures the dogs are going into caring, competent homes.
Her members, who range in age from 5 to 60-plus, include single
women in search of security and a conversation starter, Navy
personnel who love dogs but are at sea for much of the year, and
seniors who live in apartments where dogs are not allowed.
"Usually, our dogs are lavished with attention, and it's undivided
attention from our members because it is the only time they have
together," she said. "Some people take a dog home and realise,
'Hey, I can adopt a dog.'"
http://www.theage.com.au/news/pets/no-time-for-a-pet-rent-one/2007/07/30/1185647813755.html
