Mar 6
Dogs for rent? Not in Boston
A company offering people the opportunity to “rent a dog” looks like it will be stopped from opening in Boston due to a legislative ban. FlexPetz, set up last year in San Diego by Marlena Cervantes, lets people who are unable to own a dog simply hire one for a few hours. But State Rep. Paul K. Frost, and state Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr., aren’t happy with the idea and recently filed legislation which, if successful, will ban the pet rental business in Massachusetts.
According to this story in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Frost, who owns a Labrador and a golden retriever, said “The MSPCA and dog officers in other towns oppose this business. I know what kind of bond there is with a dog. You don’t rent out members of your family.”
What do you think? Is this a good way to let people enjoy spending a little time with a dog if they are unable to keep one as a pet, or is it unfair for the dogs themselves?
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One reason I really like this idea is because a lot of people don’t understand the amount of responsibility that goes into owning a dog of your own and this could provide some insight. Perhaps they would learn that now is not the right time to purchase a dog (which would be much better for all parties involved)
This is a very interesting discussion, however because, I am enticed to learn a bit more about the business model; where do they get these dogs? is there any instruction provided for the “renters”?
I could go either way based on details of the business.
Comment by Mitch — March 14, 2008 @ 11:11 am
[...] have recently filed legislation to ban pet rental businesses in the state. Check out this post by our Boston site for more details. Flexpetz (the same company causing all the commotion in Mass) already has a NY [...]
Pingback by Lease-A-Puppy? | SnifNYCDogs — May 14, 2008 @ 10:07 am
To answer your question regarding where FP gets their dogs, check out their SEC filings– required legal securities exchange commission documents pertaining to businesses.
According to the legally-binding documents filed with the SEC, FP (or Asensia, or ColdStar — the business name changes every couple of months, kind of an interesting way to ‘hide’ info, eh?), the dogs are PURCHASED, NOT ‘rescued’ as FP keeps telling people. As well, the dogs are described as “equipment with a useable life of 5 years” within the documents.
Constantly passing a dog from family to family can only create confusion and behavioral fallout in a dog — ask anyone who works in Rescue or Sheltering (as I have). I recently fostered a dog that had been shlepped around between four homes in the space of two months — it took almost 2 weeks before he was able to calm down enough for us to give him a massage without shaking — and this is a BIG dog. With the more fragile neurological systems of the smaller breeds, just how do you think they are going to react?
This is NOT good for the pets involved… FP and its owners (including the infamous Simon Brodie, a gentleman who has done jail time in the UK for fraud, and is currently under investigation for exporting $15,000.00 ‘Ashera’ cats that were found to be genetically identical to Savannah cats) are in this to make money off of a certain marketable group of people who have the tons of money (a yearly fee, plus $100 per month, plus and extra $180 for four ‘usage days’ per month, whether or not you USE them!) and don’t want the responsibility.
If you want to see what it’s like to have a pet, why don’t you volunteer at your local Humane Society, Shelter or better yet — foster for a registered Rescue organization. But the folks who are buying what FP is selling are a bit too self-centered for such things as volunteering to HELP…
Comment by jo — July 23, 2008 @ 1:23 pm