Desperate and dogless invited to form rental bonds

[Cassiepeia]

smh.com.au

Arjun Ramachandran
August 1, 2007

THEY say real friends can't be bought, but man's best friend will soon be available for hire.

A US company, Flexpetz, plans to set up a service in Sydney offering pet dogs for hire to those unwilling to take on a longer canine commitment.

The service operates in Los Angeles and San Diego, and launches later this year in London.

Its website, flexpetz.com, says it is "a unique concept for dog lovers who are unable to own a full-time doggie pal and miss spending time with a canine friend".

Many of the company's dogs have been rescued from pounds, the website says. They are given regular veterinary checks and trained to understand "standard commands".

But Monika Biernacki, the managing director of the animal rescue charity Monika's Doggie Rescue, said the dogs could develop "separation anxiety" from being repeatedly shifted between different hirers.

"Dogs are like children - they need special care and nurturing from people that know what they're doing with a commitment to care for them," she said.

"Shopping dogs around here to there, from one day to the next … if you did that to a child you'd end up with a lot of behavioural problems."

While the service targets "dog lovers", Robert Stabler, an animal behaviour expert and veterinarian of 25 years, said it was more likely to attract people who wanted a dog to help them create a trendy look.

"It certainly smacks very much of a 'no-commitment' situation … like having a show pony or going out to a party with a dog that looks like them," he said.

In the US, members pay US$24.95 ($29) to hire a dog on weekdays and US$39.95 on weekends. Membership fees include an annual fee of $US99.95 and monthly fees of $US49.95.

Dr Stabler said the welfare of the hire dogs ought to be monitored by an organisation such as the RSPCA.

Prospective hirers should also be "vetted" to limit the chance of cruelty.