Having been a dog owner almost my entire life (five years I went without a dog was because the Navy frowns on dogs aboard ships), I know that there is more to dog ownership that merely playing with the dog. I can go to a friend’s house and play with his dog, but that dog is not my dog. There is a bond between dog and owner that is created by daily interaction. A dog owner loves his dog, and the dog responds to that love in kind. That is why I don’t get this:
SAN FRANCISCO — From the state that popularized 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.
…
For an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day, (discounted to $24.95 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.
Bizarre.
I love dogs, but I would never consider renting one. I just don’t think it would be the same.
Come on. Can’t you Californians make a commitment on anything?
