Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Rental Dogs

Apparently you can now time share a dog. In this arrangement you get to have a dog for four days a month for a few hours. This way you do not have the actual responsibility of having a dog, but you get to take them for walks. This is for the person who is so on the go that they do not have time for a dog.

Now I appreciate that there are people in this world who do not have the time or space for a dog and in my place currently, I may be one of them that does not truly have the space for a bigger dog like I have, but really if you do not have the time or space than fine, but rent-a-dog is a horrible idea. Dogs are animals that want love and affection. They are pack animals, so they like to be able to run with the same pack. Now most dogs will accept new people and even possibly new animals into the pack with some work, but always shifting packs is a bad idea. These are not commodities or possessions to be traded and given away. This is like having a rental child. You do not have a child just to take them to the playground, just like you do not have a dog just to take them on walks. You have animals and children for the camaraderie and affection that you can share. You also accept a dog into your home and you have to be responsible for their needs and not just four times a month, every day. There are too many dogs that need homes and now some people just do not want the responsibility, so they rent a dog. If you really do not have the room or time to take care of a dog in your home, than volunteer at a shelter once or twice a month or four times a month. There are plenty of animals at shelters that need your love and affection too.

And besides the point, you do not have a dog for the walks, cleaning up their excrement is not my idea of fun. You have a dog to play with them and to enjoy having a companion. This is another sign of the coming apocalypse and the decline into pure materialism in this country and now abroad.

2 comments:

Mauigirl said...

I agree with you. The only exception is, if the "rental dogs" were from shelters and the people who "rent" them do it to help raise money for the shelter while giving dogs that would usually be confined to a cage a nice outing for the day. They do this on Maui and it helps keep the dogs socialized and happy while they are waiting to find permanent homes. That is the right use of this idea.

The Cunning Runt said...

You Go, Boy! Great post on an interesting topic, and I share your conclusions.