apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

this seems kind of weird to me. i understand a need for therapy pets like for nursing homes or shut ins. yet who needs a pet fix enough to pay a membership? i agree with what you said about borrowing a friend's pet. this way you get your fix and are doing a service for your friend by petsitting. another thought is how do the animals do with being shuttled around from house to house. don't pets need a place to call their own? our pets miss us when we leave and jump for joy when we get home. how does a dog do that has no real owner? this sounds, at first glance, more like pets as a status symbol or commodity and not as a companion.

sigh. you can rent movies, rent furniture, rent power tools, and now you can rent pets. this makes me sad.

This is a TERRIBLE idea. And frankly, I'm dissappointed ATLA chooses to give this company free advertising by writing about it.

If you want to spend some quality time with a dog, but can't be a true dog guardian, then VOLUNTEER at your local shelter or rescue organization. There are thousands of dogs in LA awaiting their forever homes. Dogs that could use some love and attention. It is free and the rewards are infinite.

Type in "dog rescue" "los angeles" at google and take your pick of breed specific or mixed.

Get yourself a few karma points.

amen becster. great idea for getting some pet time when you can't have one of your own.

Its like ZipCar but with dogs.

Works for cars. NOT for dogs.

This is an unfair way to treat animals, especially ones with propensity to develop emotional connections, such as dogs.

I too am disappointed with this post. We all claim we are all "green" and care about our environment and fellow inhabitants, and then comes a post like this.

Dogs (or any animal, for that matter) as objects: Not a concept I'm willing to work with.

this just creeps me out.

This is... incredibly appalling. And makes me very uneasy. Forgetting for two seconds my extensive background in animal rights, pretending that I'm the "average joe," this is still really appalling. Companion animals are NOT a cash crop. Man's best friend should NOT have an hourly rate (nor discounted Sunday through Thursday).

Wow, this seems like it could be pretty stressful for the animals. I agree with becster that volunteering at a shelter would be a MUCH better idea.

This is terrible. Not even mentioning the stress on the pets, but to render them disposable. i can't believe AT would post something like this.

This was already posted in Blogging LA http://blogging.la/archives/2007/05/rent_a_bitch_or_stud.phtml
4 months ago, and it is still reprehensible.

This is such a selfish concept!

I say the same things everybody above have said.

It's a /great/ idea! Kind of like pets pimping. I rent a girlfriend by the hour, why shouldn't I rent a dog that way too?

(tongue firmly in cheek)

I hear Michael Vick was one of their first customers.

(may god strike me dead)

The Humane Society and PETA must be all over this! This is appalling, unethical, cruel, inhumane, and pathetic. How about we take our euthanised pets home to eat them, thereby reducing waste!!!!! (I am saying this very sarcastically)

This is so sad.

I agree that this could be disasterous, but I can think of examples where this might be a good thing.

I have friends where both parents are highly allergic to dogs and cats but their 10 year old son would love to play with a dog. Obviously he isn't old enough to volunteer in a shelter without a parent present (which wouldn't be possible with their allergies). Their building doesn't allow pets and they don't have friends with pets.

If you were thinking about getting a dog but wanted to spend a weekend with one to get a feel for the commitment so you wouldn't end up sending your new pet back to the shelter, is that a bad idea?

I see a lot of dogs being walked by professional dogwalkers in the city. How is this any less emotionally difficult for a dog?

I agree that I am suspicious about how these dogs are treated when they aren't working. I could see this getting puppymill like rather easily, but I can also envision the people running this kind of operation as being decent human beings. They do require a training session for their clients and mention that their dogs come from shelters.

I really don't see this as that appalling. If the dogs are well-cared for at the facility, I see this as little different than any other "working" dog like a police dog. They will have regular attention, see many different parts of their "pack," etc. I think people see this as a little more psychologically damaging than it could possibly be to a dog.

Shrug. Good idea for people unable to have the responsibility of a forever dog.

THIS IS RETARDED... its so NOT a good idea.

If you can't handle the responsibility of a dog, get a freakin plant and call it a day!

renting a dog, who is the lead-paint-eating dork who came up with this. what next, rent parents...wtf.

im biting my tongue right now cause i really want to go into a straight up f- this statement. but im trying to be nice.

HOW horrible for these poor dogs to be passed around like a cheap whore. OHHH why cause you live in a building that doesnt accept dogs. tough sh*t deal with it and if you really wanted a dog you will move.

im surprise orphanages dont rent out kids for those that like kids but hate the crying and diapers that come along with it.


horrible horrible horrible.

this wont last. there is no way it can. why isnt peta and aspca all over this?

tsk tsk tsk AT for even airing this out. we live in a modern world yes, but this is borderline crazy. they should have britney spears as their poster child.

i am also sad that apartment therapy has this inhumane practice posted on their site...this is cruelty to dogs. Dogs form quick emotional attachments and need stable environments. this is a disgusting practice and i hope that there are enough people who speak up to stop it.

while we are talking about being sensitive to animals, i'm disappointed that the word *retarded* was used as an adjective to describe this process. i agree, it's a potentially harmful, irresponsible practice but please, think before using words like that in everyday language that can be really offensive. we are not talking about the slowed growth or development of an animal here, it's just upsetting to see that word being used as an adjective, still.