Why Commit?

Have you heard about Felxpetz? It's a dog rental company. I kid you not. You can rent a dog by the day. This is how it works, according to their site.

HOW DOES FLEXPETZ WORK?

We aim to keep the FLEXPETZ program simple so that our members and dogs can get as much time in together! Start by enrolling for your FLEXPETZ membership; once activated, your FLEXPETZ membership is ready to go and you can begin using our online reservation system.

Our online reservation system makes it easy to plan your "doggy time". Choose your location to view the dogs available on your chosen date(s). On the day, go and pick up your dog - or choose to use the FLEXPETZ shuttle service to deliver and/or collect you FLEXPETZ dog to/from your home or office.

FLEXPETZ provides our members with local access to a variety of dogs, all of whom are rescues or rehomed, lovable and fully trained. FLEXPETZ members can spend from just a few hours to a number of days with each of our dogs. FLEXPETZ dogs are available in varied breed sizes to ensure compatibility with our member's individual lifestyles and unique circumstances. Local drop-off and collection to your home or office is available in some locations.

And here’s another great FLEXPETZ feature: your FLEXPETZ membership is valid at any FLEXPETZ location. Just imagine visiting New York, Chicago, Paris or London and strolling through the city and parks with a FLEXPETZ dog!

This does not come cheap. You have to pay a registration fee of $150, a yearly fee of $99.95 and then a monthly fee of $39.95. You also pay per day of rental. $19.95 for a weekday and $29.95 on a weekend. If you keep your dog past the end of your reservation you pay a $75 late fee.

Is it just me or is it really odd? Kind of like a doggy escort service? It seems to me that the whole point of having a pet is that he or she becomes part of your life. Someone to welcome you when you come home, to leave hair on your favorite chair, to clean up the food your kids spill on the floor, to wake you with a sloppy kiss, and someone to hug when you've had a really crappy day.

Parents, I know what you're thinking. What about Flexkidz? Instead of committing to a lifelong relationship with some knee biter you could have just rented for the occasional day. But now that you have them you may as well get them to earn their keep. You might not be able to get quite as much for your kid as they do for a dog but every little bit counts.