User:Christianneb/sandbox

Pet rental
Pet rental is a very controversial topic around the world, and it is known for both the good and the bad aspects. Some find it comforting to be able to own a pet for a short period of time without the responsibilities that come along with pet ownership, and others find it inhumane for the animals being rented out. There are also different types of pet rental services, for example ones that rent out dogs purely for the enjoyment or companionship and others that rent out dogs for Pet sitting and caring purposes.

There is an online service called BorrowMyDoggy.com that either allows you to find someone to take care of your dog while you’re on vacation or away from home, or allows you to pet sit for someone who does not want to put their animal in a Kennel. The website finds other people in local areas who are animal lovers that will go on walks, playdates, and sleepovers with someone else’s pet.

In Japan there are places that someone can pay to play with pets in a controlled setting. When people are not able to have pets in small apartments, or do not have the resources to take care of a pet they can experience having one somewhere else. Dog Heart is one of these places that is part Petting zoo, part rental shop that allows people to connect and play with dogs for a short period of time. In Toronto there is newly opening store downtown called the Kitty Cat Café, the idea has been in works for 2 years and is opening for business in the near future. The café will be like any other serving beverages and pastries but will have cats roaming around freely that customers can spend time and play with. The owners plan on receiving the cats from the Toronto Humane Society in hopes customers will want to adopt the cats afterwards.

FlexPetz
In 2007 a company was founded in the United States by the name of Flexpetz. The service rented out dogs to people wanting a short-time pet. The service had a monthly fee plus a rental service fee when you chose to rent a dog. The company’s dogs were aged from 2-5 years old and allowed people to choose the dog they wish to spend time with and for how long. After about 18 months the company went out of business because of the laws implemented in Boston Masseuses prohibiting people from renting out dogs. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization PeTA took a stance on the matter calming the business is purely for profit and does harm to the animals. The reason so many were concerned with the FlexPetz service was because it was not public knowledge on how the dogs were being obtained in order to rent them out, the conditions the dogs were being taken care of, and where the dogs went after the age of 5.